


memories like embers keep us warm

by ignisgayentia



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Meet-Cute, Non-Graphic Violence, Reincarnation, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:02:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ignisgayentia/pseuds/ignisgayentia
Summary: Prompto is twenty years old, and still hasn't found his pre-destined soulmate. If he doesn't meet one, he'll never know who or what he was in a past life. Despite living an active university life, he still hasn't seemed to meet anyone that's meant for him. It's starting to get to him, considering he lives with his best friend, who found his soulmate as a child. When Prompto runs into someone he's never seen before at the campus gym, his entire life changes in an instant. He does what any overwhelmed college student would do--head for the hills.Written for the 2020 Promptio Big Bang.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum, Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia (Background)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 103
Collections: Promptio Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> aaa so excited to post my promptio big bang fic! my darling artist [idefix](https://twitter.com/Faufix) went all out for the artwork for this one, i hope you enjoy it! you can find it in chapter 3. i wanted to do a reincarnation au for these two, and i did shed a few tears when i referenced ffxv's canon ending... BUT DON't WORRY, it's OVER NOW
> 
> i hope you enjoy! my first long fic for these two, it was really fun to write!

Prompto doesn’t know how to fix what’s wrong with him.

Prompto is twenty years old, and still has no soulmate, or memory of who he was in a past life. He’s never even had a brief flash or a hint, and he’s starting to think something is definitely wrong, or maybe the Astrals are just out to get him personally.

Prompto can’t help but feel envious of his best friend and college roommate, Noctis, for finding  _ his  _ soulmate when he was only five years old; it probably doesn’t help that he’s constantly comparing his experiences to Noctis, and by extension, Noctis’s soulmate, Ignis. 

Noctis and Ignis remember nearly everything about each other in their former lives. Prompto’s pretty sure Ignis was Noctis’s bodyguard or something like that in a past life. ‘More than a bodyguard’, Noctis always reminds him, but Prompto wonders if Noctis is just trying to make it out to be deeper than it is just because they’re soulmates.

Still, Noctis and Ignis dance around each other like they’ve known each other for a hundred lifetimes. Prompto is only a  _ little  _ jealous. He would’ve been happy to have either Noctis or Ignis as a soulmate, since they’re always around him anyway, but no—apparently nothing can be that simple. 

Prompto is soulmate-less, and after all this time ( _20_ _whole years_ of time, in fact), he’s starting to wonder if he doesn’t even _have_ a soulmate.

He can’t help but think about it every time he even remotely goes out in public. Right now, during his glaringly long shift at the campus coffee shop, Prompto sees soulmates walk in and out every day. The coffee shop radio soundtrack playing in the background offers commercials every ten minutes specifically about therapy for those dealing with memory flashbacks as soon as they meet their soulmate. People come in to buy a coffee for their soulmate—and they always make it  _ very  _ obvious who it’s for, much to Prompto’s annoyance. Some people have even  _ found _ their soulmate  _ during  _ some of Prompto’s shifts at work, and at that point, it always seems like the universe is laughing at him.

Prompto  _ loves _ love, and loves surrounding himself with love, but when the universe is constantly pointing out that he doesn’t have anything that everyone else has, it’s starting to bum him out a little.

He’d rather be at his dorm with Noctis—even though Noctis  _ has  _ found his soulmate, he doesn’t make a big deal out of it every chance he gets, like everyone else Prompto comes across.

Prompto sighs, pulling off his apron as he makes the last cappuccino of his shift.

“I’m headin’ out,” Prompto calls out to his boss, Dino, before hanging up his apron.

“Catch ya around, Prompto. Oh, and make sure you smile more. You’ve been a li’l too gloomy lately, don’t wanna bum out the new semester rush. You need a day off or somethin’?” Dino asks.

Prompto puts on a fake smile. “Nope, I’m great. I’ll work on it, just a crappy day.”

Prompto’s fake smile fades as soon as he starts walking toward his dorm. He’s grateful his boss offered him a day off, and he’d honestly take it, if he didn’t need the money so badly. University life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Prompto supposes it’s a good thing that he doesn’t have to worry about having life-altering-former-life flashbacks on  _ top  _ of his school and workload. He can’t afford therapy if things turn out badly, and he  _ definitely _ doesn’t want to be met with a flashback in the middle of helping a customer with a frappe. That would be the  _ worst. _

Prompto snorts at the thought as he makes his way into his small dorm that he shares with Noctis. It’s bigger than others—at the very least, they have their own bathroom—but it’s certainly not the biggest place to live. Noctis spends a lot of his time at Ignis’s campus apartment, which is obviously a lot bigger, but Prompto doesn’t have the luxury of running to a soulmate when things get too cramped.

He’s happy for Noctis, though, he really is. He couldn’t be happier. He’d rather weather this storm than anyone else he cares about.

“You look sulky,” Noctis comments from their couch as soon as Prompto walks into view, setting his keys and wallet in their tiny kitchen area.

Prompto grabs a bag of chips off of the counter and joins his best friend, feeling a little guilty that he was caught in the act of wallowing.

“Nah, I was just… thinkin’,” Prompto dodges, offering Noctis some chips.

“Did Dino give you bathroom duty again?” Noctis teases, grabbing a handful of chips.

Prompto wishes his problems were that trivial. “Nah, just… a lot of soulmate stuff today on the radio and stuff. Did something happen?”

“Eh, I think a big celeb found their soulmate or somethin’,” Noctis says. “Now finding your soulmate is all the rage again. Gotta make their money off of  _ something. _ ”

“Like it’s ever  _ not _ been popular,” Prompto says sarcastically.

“Yeah, but people make money off of it more during these kinds of times.” There’s a moment of slightly awkward silence before Noctis sighs. “You’ll find yours, dude.”

Prompto hates conversations like these, especially with people who  _ aren’t _ Noctis that throw in a bunch of pity along with it. Noctis doesn’t pity him, thankfully, but Prompto can tell he still feels bad about it. He remembers in grade school, when there were all the orientations and educational films about finding soulmates, and the bottom line always emphasized not being afraid and always being  _ patient, _ but Prompto’s waited 20 years. Hasn’t he been patient enough?

“What if I don’t?” Prompto fires back, ready to take on this conversation as soon as the invitation is presented to him. “If it hasn’t happened now… who the hell is left to meet? What if I’m one of those unlucky bastards who meets theirs at, like, age 60 or whatever?” He sinks into the couch. 

“So, you’ll have me, and Specs. I dunno who your soulmate is, but c’mon, it’s a new semester. You never know. There’s a lot of time between now and being an old dude,” Noctis says. He locks eyes with Prompto, face solemn. “We’re not being annoying in front of you, are we?”

“No! Nononononono,” Prompto assures him. “It’s not you, it’s me.” He snorts.

Honestly, Noctis and Ignis are intimate in a very subtle way. They don’t have to be all over each other to show they love each other, but Prompto picks up on it super well, for some reason. It’s like some wavelength he’s tuned into but can’t quite hear all of the sound.

“Shut up,” Noctis says with a laugh. “Seriously, if we’re ever too much, let us know… you do live here, and Specs doesn’t, so—”

“You’ll be the first to know, and I’m sure Iggy will make me an apology cake even before I could confess,” Prompto points out. He lets out a long, drawn-out sigh. “I guess a new semester is the best time to meet new faces. Here’s hoping some cutie in my art class will pull through.”

“Yeah, let’s hope,” Noctis says. “Or, y’know, maybe you’ll meet ‘em at work. What… what are you gonna do? When you meet ‘em?”

“What do you mean?” Prompto laughs. “They’ll be my soulmate, I guess.” He shrugs. “I don’t even know what it’s like to have violent flashbacks to a former life and a former love.”

“I mean, the flashbacks aren’t always romantic,” Noctis says. “And they’re not  _ violent. _ Well, not inherently, I guess. If all you did was fight…” He’s clearly referring to himself. Prompto doesn’t know much about all of Noctis’s flashbacks, but he does know he did get into quite a few battles for some reason.

“So  _ yours  _ were kinda violent,” Prompto says. “And you’re all I really have to go on.”

“I mean, there was fighting involved? Some of it is kinda hazy, but yeah, Specs and I were both trained in combat in a past life.”

“That’s super weird. I can’t imagine you getting up off the couch for something other than pizza,” Prompto teases.

“That’s fair. Me either. I would hate to be that person again,” Noctis says. 

“Yeah, ‘cause then we wouldn’t know each other,” Prompto says, horror in his tone. “Who would beat your ass in Mario Kart?”

Noctis playfully shoves him. “Not you.”

Prompto can’t help but laugh. “Hopefully, my soulmate will be someone much more chill. And one that  _ I  _ wasn’t dancing around in a past life.”

Noctis doesn’t go red this time, but it’s usually something he flushes over. “Look, Specs and I were apparently busy with other stuff. We didn’t have time for romance. We do in this life, so… we’re makin’ the most of it.”

Prompto feels another wave of jealousy come up that he has to swallow. He wishes he could just be comfortable like that, knowing his soulmate and knowing that he has the rest of his life to spend with them.

“I’m glad you guys have each other,” Prompto says, trying not to let the sadness creep into his tone.

Noctis elbows him. “Your time will come, man. And, y’know, soulmates aren’t everything. Sometimes, they’re not even romantic. Plenty of people just settle down with whoever they want. In a way, it’s kinda awesome having a choice.”

“Says the guy who’s with someone that’s literally made for him,” Prompto says sarcastically. “But, I guess you’re right. I just want love!” He pouts. “And, y’know, I  _ definitely  _ wouldn’t mind getting laid…”

Noctis snorts. “I mean, nothing’s really stopping you from doin’  _ that. _ ”

“Also true. You know what, Noct? You’re a genius,” Prompto says. “I’m gonna hit up the gym, show off these guns, and hope someone takes the bait.” He wiggles his eyebrows seductively.

Noctis huffs out a laugh. “Have fun, dork.”

“Shh. It’s gonna happen. Project Get Prompto Laid has officially started.”

“Can it officially start  _ out _ of our dorm, maybe? Can you take ‘em to their place?”

“Nah, can’t stop the Love Train once it’s started!” Prompto starts making obnoxious train sounds. “See ya!” 

Noctis rolls his eyes, but smiles nonetheless. “Bye.”

Prompto’s smile fades a little as soon as he leaves. He doesn’t  _ actually _ think he’ll meet anyone of circumstance at the gym of all places, but hey, if he manages to, he won’t exactly complain.

He heads to his favorite near-campus gym with those thoughts in mind.

\-----

The treadmills are surprisingly empty for the evening when Prompto finally gets there. He’s grateful for that; the gyms near campus are always pretty busy, especially at the start of the semester. He puts in his headphones, turns on the treadmill, and starts to sweat out all of his bad feelings.

Prompto definitely enjoys people-watching; there’s so many new people to see at the beginning of the fall semester—and at the gym, there aren’t as many soulmates being lovey dovey around him. People-watching is something fun to occupy his time when he gets his daily run in. Not many people seem to stick out, but it’s still entertaining enough.

Prompto’s just starting his cooling down period on the treadmill when someone walks in with a towel thrown over his shoulder. He’s tall, with huge muscles, and has long brown hair cascading along his shoulders. He’s wearing an extremely tight tank top, and Prompto immediately recognizes him as probably the hottest man he’s ever seen in his life.

As soon as Prompto zeroes in to try to focus on just what kinds of tattoos the Hot Gym Guy has, the room sort of goes silent, like Prompto was able to successfully tune out every noise possible. The background starts to lose focus, and Prompto gets this strange deja vu feeling that he’s seen these tattoos before, and this  _ man _ before, maybe even in a gym before.

The feeling passes as quickly as it comes, and it’s as vague as ever, but Prompto can’t shake the feeling that he’s seen Hot Gym Guy before. He can’t quite figure out where; if he’d seen this guy at a gym before, he definitely would’ve remembered someone so handsome. He’s never seen him at work before, either, he’s  _ fairly _ sure.

Prompto watches the man head over toward the barbells and weights, and he realizes that maybe it’s worth a shot trying to talk to the guy. After all, he meant to get some weight training in after cardio anyway.

Prompto finishes his cooldown, and strategically walks over toward the weightlifting section of the gym. He tries to be cool around Hot Gym Guy, but the closer he gets, the more intimidating he finds him. There’s a light scar on his face, traveling down through his eyebrow and ending just under his eye. It makes him look even more attractive, if Prompto is honest, and brings out the gold in his honey-amber eyes.

This dude is way out of Prompto’s league, but it doesn’t really stop him from looking. It’s not like he can help it.

Prompto tries to occupy himself with the crosstrainer that he’s currently sitting on, but the weight on it is far too high for him to even use the machine properly. He hasn’t even attempted to start using it, however, as he’s watching Hot Gym Dude’s muscles bulge with every bicep curl he pulls.

Prompto’s met with those amber eyes amusedly locking onto his own. “If you take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

Of course, the Hot Gym Dude has a really deep, attractive purr of a voice as well, and Prompto’s pretty sure he needs to go take a cold shower for a reason other than sweating from his workout.

Prompto feels embarrassment flush his cheeks on top of the exertion from his run. “Oh. Um… well, I don’t have my camera,” he admits, as if this would be a helpful thing to mention right now when he’s  _ not _ trying to be creepy.

Thankfully, Hot Gym Dude starts to laugh. “Fair enough.” He continues his bicep curls, but nods toward the weight stacked on Prompto’s crosstrainer. “Your weight setting’s too high, by the way. It’s maxed out.”

Prompto turns his torso to stare at the weight. “Oh. Yeah. Thanks,” he says, as if he didn’t already know this.

Honestly, Prompto’s never really been shy to talk to people before, so he doesn’t know why he’s acting like an entire idiot around this guy, but here he is, doing exactly that. 

The guy looks at Prompto expectantly when he makes no move to change the weight. “Want some… help?” He laughs a little.

Prompto knows how to change the weight on this machine—it’s not exactly hard, but he definitely wants any excuse possible to keep this guy talking to him, so he smiles sheepishly.

“Sure, dude. Thanks.”

“No problem.” He puts his dumbbell down and saunters over toward Prompto’s machine. 

Prompto keeps his eyes glued to his muscles and tattoos as he changes the weight, and it’d be really embarrassing if he started drooling right in front of him. Prompto still can’t shake that nagging feeling from earlier, though, like he’s seen him or met him somewhere before.

Prompto watches as the guy takes off two stacked weights, and then locks eyes with Prompto. “Give that a try? See if it’s a good fit.”

Prompto nods, moving to lift the bars with his legs. “Oh, yeah, that’s perfect. Gonna feel the burn with these babies!”

“Make sure you warm up first, you’re kinda small,” Hot Gym Guy warns.

Prompto can’t respond. Suddenly, his mind travels to a completely different world—a completely different  _ time _ , it seems. It feels like a mix between a dream and a memory.

_ The muscular guy from the gym is still with him, but not in this gym. It looks more like a training ground than any sort of public gym space, as there’s other people here with similar uniforms. He’s wearing one too, a skin-tight sort of work uniform with an emblem on it that he can’t recognize, and Hot Gym Guy is wearing the same. His tattoos peek out from underneath the tank top. He doesn’t have a scar anymore. _

_ He holds up the punching bag in front of Prompto, a determined frown on his face. "Prompto, you ain't gonna be able to protect with no stamina. Faster!"  _

_ Prompto can  _ feel _ the energy drain from him, groaning in pain like he'd been at this all day. "I'm trying!" he feels himself whine, though his voice is different. Younger, farther away.  _

_ "Not trying hard enough," Gym Guy decides. He lets go of the punching bag, gently shoving Prompto's shoulder. "Laps, now. Let's go." _

_ Prompto feels a strange thrill at the thought of getting to run—after all, it's what he's good at. Gym Guy runs with him, and there's a sense of comradery there, but he doesn't know why or where it came from, any other memories a fogged-up dream. All he can feel is an urge to protect—for who or from what, he has no idea. _

_ This strange dream is just the briefest flash of something obviously Not Here, but it’s enough to completely take Prompto out of his element. _

Prompto feels a gentle shove to his shoulder.

“Whoa,” Hot Gym Guy’s voice sounds right in his ear, snapping Prompto back to Eos. “You good? You look a little pale.”

Prompto blinks, and finds himself back at the gym, with Hot Gym Guy looking at him with a little bit of surprise and concern.

Prompto doesn’t know what he just experienced; it was more than just deja vu this time. He’s frozen in his seat, completely shocked. Prompto knows for sure that he’s never been to any sort of training grounds, and definitely not with a beautiful stranger with eagle tattoos.

At least not in this lifetime. That’s what scares him the most.

Prompto doesn’t want another one of those dizzying flashbacks to happen again. He stands up, looking at Hot Gym Guy with a little bit of fear.

“I, uh, gotta go,” Prompto stammers.

He grabs his water bottle and books it. He doesn’t stop to shower or clean up, he just heads right out of the gym.

He hears the guy call out after him to no avail, and Prompto runs all the way to his apartment, completely mortified.

What the hell did he just run away from? It didn’t feel like anything good. If it was supposed to be a good thing, why would he be so scared?

He sort of feels like an idiot for running out of there and leaving Hot Gym Guy confused, but  _ he  _ didn’t seem confused or disoriented from any of that, so it definitely wasn’t a soulmate thing—otherwise, it would’ve happened to  _ both _ of them, not just Prompto.

Right?

Maybe Prompto’s blood sugar is just low. As soon as he showers and dresses in clean clothes, he drinks some juice and makes himself some food to get his blood sugar back to normal, grateful that Noctis is away at class and won’t see his meltdown.

Hopefully, this sort of thing won’t happen again.

With a sigh, Prompto realizes he should probably tell Noctis what happened. Maybe he’ll know what the hell that was.


	2. Chapter 2

Prompto isn’t surprised when he has to head to  _ Ignis’s  _ apartment to find Noctis. He spends more time there than he does with Prompto sometimes. Ignis likes to cook for the two of them—and sometimes Prompto, whenever he’s over.

“Prompto,” Ignis greets when he opens the door. “What a pleasant surprise. I happened to cook enough food for you, if you’re hungry.”

Prompto doesn’t really have the stomach for eating right now, but he can’t exactly turn down Ignis’s cooking.

“Um, sure, thanks, Iggy,” Prompto says. “Noct’s here, right?”

“But of course,” Ignis teases. “Do come in.”

Noctis is lounging on the couch, as he enjoys doing, regardless of which home he’s in.

“Oh, hey, Prom. What’s up?” Noctis asks, scrolling through his phone.

“So, uh, somethin’ really weird happened to me? At the gym?” Prompto hedges, figuring it’s best to just get right into it.

“Other than you trying to get laid?” Noctis asks with a snort.

“Oh?” Ignis calls from the kitchen, a smirk on his face. “And were you successful in that endeavor?”

“I mean, if I was, I wouldn’t be here,” Prompto points out.

“Now, now, you never know,” Ignis says with a wink as he starts plating up food for everyone.

“You guys suck,” Prompto whines.

“Okay, okay, we’ll bite. What happened at the gym?” Noctis says, still smiling.

“Well, I was just running and minding my business, and then this dude walks in. Okay, he might have been a super hot dude, but… that’s besides the point,” Prompto insists.

“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” Ignis says sarcastically.

“Okay, so, like, he had these sick tattoos, right? So I try to see what kinda ink he’s got goin’ on, and I get this… weird feeling that I’d seen ‘em somewhere before. But I dunno this guy at all! It was like, funky deja vu,” Prompto says.

Noctis’s eyebrows raise. “But you don’t know him? Maybe you met him at work or something.”

“Nope. It went away super fast, like deja vu, too,” Prompto says. “Then I work my boyish charm and get him to help me with a machine, thinkin’ maybe I can get him to grab a beer with me, right?”

“Uh huh,” Noctis says encouragingly. “And?”

“When he helped me with a machine, I got that weird deja vu again, but it was more specific. Like… I’d trained with this dude before? Like a personal trainer, only it was like, for somethin’ more serious. I dunno what. I dunno where it was, either, but it wasn’t here. Anyway, I pretty much blacked out. It was almost nauseating. It was gross.”

“Are you saying you experienced a flashback? Of potentially the soulmate variety?” Ignis wonders, suddenly way more intrigued than before.

“No! ‘Cause it was horrible, and the Hot Gym Dude didn’t seem bothered at all, so that’s definitely  _ not _ what it was. It could’ve been a small stroke, or maybe my blood sugar was low. And I kinda felt better after eating, so…”

“Okay, did you find out who the guy was, even?” Noctis asks.

Prompto feels his cheeks flush. “Um… no.”

“No? You didn’t exchange any introductions?” Ignis asks.

“Well, I kinda freaked out and ran away?” Prompto says sheepishly.

Noctis tilts his head in confusion. “You mean, that could’ve… even been a slight chance at meeting your soulmate and you ran away?”

Prompto starts to panic. “It wasn’t my soulmate. I don’t know the guy, and he wasn’t into me, so--”

“How do you know? Was he concerned when you, ‘blacked out’, as you put it?” Ignis asks, sitting on the couch with them, handing them all plates.

Prompto grabs a fork half-heartedly. “I dunno, I don’t really remember. A little?”

“Hmm,” Ignis says, taking a bite.

“What if you never see him again, though? And it  _ was  _ your soulmate?” Noctis points out.

“Noct,” Ignis chastises, but it’s too late.

Prompto’s freaking out. He reaches forward to put his plate on the coffee table, and wraps his arms around himself.

“Dude, calm down, it’s fine,” Noctis says, always a little bad at comforting.

“Now, Prompto, it will be alright,” Ignis says reassuringly, reaching out to wrap his arm around Prompto’s shoulder. “I’m certain if he was attending that gym, and he was of import, he will return, at the  _ very  _ least to find you.”

“How do you know?” Prompto points out, trying to find comfort in Ignis’s reassuring touch. “What if I screwed up?”

“I understand that these sorts of things might be stressful or even  _ frightening _ ,” Ignis says softly. “When I first started having flashbacks of Noctis, I nearly fainted. I’d never experienced anything so vivid.”

Prompto’s stomach churns when he remembers how vivid the deja vu was with Hot Gym Guy. “What’d you do?”

“I let it happen; it’s all anyone really  _ can  _ do. I knew enough about finding one’s soulmate that I assumed that was probably what it was. Eventually, the flashbacks played out, and I knew who Noct was to me, and always will be.” Ignis squeezes Prompto’s shoulder reassuringly.

“Did they ever stop?” Prompto wonders in a whisper.

“They lessened, grew less frequent, but sometimes, I’ll  _ still  _ get brief flashbacks. It’s quite rare, but I’m uncertain if they ever really stop,” Ignis says. “If this person was of import, then they will find their way back to you, surely. However, I  _ am  _ certain that you shouldn’t try to run from something natural. We’re here for you always, Prompto.”

Prompto feels a little bit better after Ignis’s consoling. He always seems to know just what to say to make a person feel better.

"Thanks, guys. I dunno what's going on. Kinda wish it would just cut it out," Prompto admits. 

Sure, he whined endlessly about not finding a soulmate, but now that there's even a slight chance there's a match for him out there, he's terrified. It seems so sudden, and so set in stone. What if he doesn't like who he ends up with? 

"Yeah, felt that way too," Noctis says. "I would've done anything to shut those visions—and headaches—up. But it turned out fine. I got Specs. It was worth it."

Prompto bites his lip, considering this. Ignis and Noctis  _ are _ good for each other. Sometimes, they don't even need to speak to communicate. They're constantly waltzing with each other without even noticing. 

"You didn't… feel like you were missing out at all?" 

"Missing out?" Noctis asks, confused.

"Having something so… defined for you by fate or whatever… didn't bother you at all?" Prompto clarifies. 

"Oh. Nope," Noctis says simply. "I know there's holes in my memory flashbacks. But it doesn't bother me too much. I know Specs is the one. I'll figure out the rest when I'm supposed to, I guess."

Prompto's eyes widen once presented with this new information. He’s surprised no one mentioned memory gaps before; then again, Prompto has always tuned out soulmate discussions out of pure bitterness. Still, he can’t help but feel curious. 

"There's gaps?" 

"Missing people, missing memories," Ignis explains. "It bothered me at first. Noct less so. The more we spent time together, my bother faded—what needs to be revealed, I have faith will be revealed in due time."

"Missing… people?" Prompto can’t wrap his mind around this.

"Yes, people in our past life that were... significant to us, or at least it  _ seems _ that way. I assume they'll become clearer once we meet them, if we ever do." Ignis sighs.

"That doesn't…  _ bother _ you? That the Gods are just fucking with us, holding out on us?" Prompto demands. He can’t believe that meeting his soulmate isn’t really the  _ end _ of the story, according to Noctis and Ignis. He wonders if it’s like that for everyone, or if Noctis and Ignis are some sort of special case.

"I doubt it's that deep. But if it is—fuck you, Bahamut," Noctis says boredly. 

Prompto can’t believe that meeting one’s soulmate doesn’t necessarily indicate that he’ll know everything about his past life. Sure, apparently Ignis and Noctis know  _ enough, _ but it still seems confusing. He supposes it makes sense, though; not everyone is attached to just  _ one _ person—sometimes there’s more than one, or none at all. 

Ignis chuckles. "Should you ever decide to revolt and hunt down Gods, I'll be at your side." He smiles.

Prompto snorts. "I'll bring my Glock," he teases. 

Noctis huffs out a laugh under his breath before wincing. 

"Noct? What's wrong?" Ignis asks worriedly, reaching out to put a hand to Noctis's forehead. 

It takes Noctis a moment to respond, holding his hand over Ignis’s. "Just a migraine," he groans finally. "I think I’m gonna go nap." 

Ignis frowns. "You haven't had any of those in a while. It usually only happened when..."

Prompto looks over at Noctis confusedly. A new memory? But Noctis has  _ already _ found Ignis for quite some time now. What else could possibly be revealed to him? Prompto wonders if it’s one of those  _ gaps _ being filled that they referred to earlier.

Noctis shrugs. "I don't have any new memories. It's probably just the bright light in here. I'll catch you later, Prom." 

Ignis and Prompto watch Noctis slump off into Ignis's bedroom. Ignis makes a hum of consideration. 

"Did he get a memory, and just doesn’t wanna tell us?" Prompto wonders once the door closes gently. 

Ignis sighs, turning to Prompto with a soft expression. "Sometimes the headache comes first. They used to debilitate him, if you recall," he explains. "I've always felt terribly for that. Almost as if I'm responsible." 

Prompto remembers. He'd skip out on class to take care of Noctis on bad migraine days.

"Dude. You  _ so  _ aren't," Prompto says. Ignis is the most selfless guy he's ever met. 

"Yes, well, anxiety tends to be irrational. I suppose time will tell if Noctis experiences another memory." 

"Why do you think he gets such bad migraines? I've never heard of that happening," Prompto says. 

"Noct has... quite a strong bloodline. It's the only thing I can come up with. In our past life, he was far more important than just another student like you and I," Ignis says. “I would assume his migraines are attributed to it somehow.” 

"Yeah? How important?" 

"Royalty," Ignis admits. 

Prompto’s eyes widen. He wonders if Ignis is simply messing with him; he’s never heard anything about this before. "Oh, damn, are you serious?! Why haven't you said anything before?"

Ignis smiles knowingly. "You didn't ask." 

Prompto wonders if that's why Ignis was sort of Noctis's bodyguard in a past life. He doesn't know much, as they don't really share details regarding it, but it would make sense. 

Ignis is very loyal. 

Prompto remembers that strange urge to protect something in his weird dream memory at the gym—this tugging sense of loyalty, of friendship, of almost  _ duty _ . 

Prompto thinks of Noctis, and there's a strange buzzing in his head. He shakes his head, and it doesn't go away. Anxiety starts to creep into his system, that nausea from earlier starting to return.

"I'm gonna go," Prompto says suddenly. 

"Prompto?" Ignis asks, confused. "You haven't touched your food." 

"Not hungry. Wrap it up, I'll come by and eat it tomorrow after work and class? I got an early morning tomorrow at the coffee shop." 

"You shouldn't go long without eating," Ignis warns, a frown plastered on his face. 

The buzzing in Prompto's head gets more intense. 

"Got it! I'll eat later," Prompto says, slightly panicked, as he jogs right out of Ignis's apartment. 

"Prompto--" Ignis starts, but Prompto shuts the door on him. 

The further Prompto runs away from Noctis and Ignis, the less his head vibrates. It calms him, happy to get out of there; it’s a strange feeling, as he’s usually so pumped to spend time with his friends. 

Prompto feels nauseous, but keeps running anyway. He runs all the way back to his and Noctis’s dorm, despite having just showered before this. He just wants to relax, if only for a little bit. Everything seems to be happening all at once.

Prompto showers again once he gets back to the quiet, now Noctis-less dorm, hoping the warm water will calm him. 

He wonders if Noctis will have another memory flashback about Ignis. He wonders if, whoever that guy at the gym was, will be significant to Prompto—maybe even soulmate-worthy. He wonders why his head wouldn’t stop buzzing as soon as he and Ignis were joking about fighting Gods or whatever the hell they were talking about. 

All of these events seem connected, or at least  _ most  _ of it, Prompto feels like—the timing doesn’t seem to be a mere coincidence. It feels like his life is some giant, convoluted, mismatched puzzle with  _ tons  _ of missing pieces, with the missing pieces being impossible to find, but he can still feel what’s missing, like a painful, empty hole in his chest.

Prompto just wants it to go away soon. It’s a little more emotion than he can take. 

Prompto climbs into bed, assuring Ignis through a text message that he’s eaten. (It’s not a total lie; he  _ did _ eat some junk food before crawling into bed.)

It takes him forever to fall asleep, and when he does finally drift after an anxiety-ridden hour of tossing and turning, he dreams of Gym Guy’s eyes, amber and alluring all at once.

He’s seen those eyes before. Somewhere far away.

_ Prompto’s never felt his muscles ache so much in his entire life. He feels as if he’s walked hundreds of miles and lifted hundreds of pounds of weight all at once. He feels even worse than when he was trying to lose weight when he was a kid, which was utter hell, if he’s honest. _

_ He drags himself across the cold, unforgiving haven ground as the sun’s setting. He’s not alone. There’s more than one person with him, but more importantly,  _ he’s _ there, that handsome stranger with the beautiful tattoos and mesmerizing eyes. _

_ Except he’s not just a guy from a gym anymore, no—that feels like the far-off memory right now, and  _ this  _ is the reality. He bumps shoulders with Prompto, a sign of familiarity. He’s a friend, a comfort, a warmth at Prompto’s side. _

_ “I feel like death,” Prompto whines. He heads toward a makeshift tent on the haven rock. _

_ “Don’t be a baby,” he whispers back, elbowing Prompto playfully. “You can sleep next to me tonight.” _

_ Prompto smiles, as somehow he  _ knows _ he’ll be much warmer. “You’re a dream guy, you know that?” _

_ “I know,” he responds confidently. _

Prompto wakes up, surprise trickling down even to his fingertips and toes. That dream didn’t feel dreamlike at all, more like a memory. Another memory? Did sleep trigger it?

There was a heaviness to their interactions this time, Prompto notices. Something deep, maybe even deeper than friendship. 

Maybe Prompto’s subconscious made it all up, only  _ wishing _ that he could possibly be romantic with someone as attractive as Gym Guy.

“Man, I gotta find out your name,” Prompto says to himself with a laugh. ‘Gym Guy’ isn’t exactly the most attractive way to describe a potential soulmate. “All I know is that  _ had  _ to be just a dream. Ain’t no way  _ anyone’s _ gonna get me to go camping, in this or any other life.”

Sleep definitely put Prompto in better spirits. Sure, everything in the world is wrong right now, and all his problems are still there, but at least he’s not tired. 


	3. Chapter 3

Prompto’s slow to get ready for the day, and notices Noctis still isn’t at the dorm—he must have spent the night at Ignis’s. He sends a text message to him, wondering if he’s okay and if his headache is still there.

And if Noctis decides to share if he had a flashback memory, then Prompto definitely wouldn’t mind hearing about it. He is nosy, after all.

Prompto feels sluggish when he walks into the coffee shop for his morning shift. This is about the last place he wants to be, especially in the morning when the shop is at its busiest. He’s grateful he at least gets to share the shift with his coworker Cindy, who is only here to get her official certificate in automotive technology. 

Prompto had a crush on her for the longest time, but there were no sparks of the soulmate variety. He could live with that—the crush was nothing more than superficial anyway, especially when Cindy came out as a lesbian within their first conversation together. They’ve been to Pride and everything, and now Cindy is one of Prompto’s greatest friends. Sometimes, rejection can work out in one’s favor. She’s soulmateless, too, which is also a bonus in terms of venting purposes.

“Heya, Prom, it’s already busier than ever,” Cindy greets, tossing him his apron. “Can you get started on a couple of vanilla lattes for me?”

“Sure thing. How are you doin’, Cindy?” Prompto asks.

“Oh, I‘m  _ great _ ,” Cindy says happily, whistling as she starts pouring steamed milk.

Cindy’s never this cheerful unless it's almost time for her shift to end. Maybe this semester is easier on her, considering it’s her last before she gets her certificate. She’s already perfect with cars, but the extra training and diploma works for job hiring, at least.

“Yeah? You seem pretty cheerful,” Prompto says as he starts pumping vanilla syrup. “Did somethin’ happen over the weekend?”

“You could say that,” Cindy says. “I was workin’ in my Paw-Paw’s garage on a project for class, and some drop-dead-gorgeous woman rides in on a motorcycle, like some sort of gift from the Gods.”

Prompto’s eyebrows raise. “Oh, shit, yeah, get it, girl.” He elbows her. “Did ya get her number?”

Cindy giggles. “You bet. Funny thing is, as soon as we got to talkin’ about what she needed fixed on her bike, I got this funny feelin’ I’d seen her before. Meanwhile, she’s about neck-deep in a flashback about me. Somethin’ about me repairin’ a ship for her while she was hunting for somethin’. Imagine that.”

Prompto gasps. “Whoa, dude? What? You found your soulmate? And didn’t  _ text _ me?!”

“I guess I did,” Cindy says, beaming. “Sorry, I’ve been a li’l in the clouds the past few days. Couldn’t feel any luckier. She’s an absolute dream.”

Prompto feels so much pride and warmth for Cindy. It couldn’t happen to a nicer girl, and he’s so happy for her. On the other hand, it very much reminds him of his predicament with the Hot Gym Guy, and the morning rush seems to stress him out even more now.

“What’s her name? When can I meet her, huh?” Prompto asks. “I’m so happy for you, dude.”

“Aranea,” Cindy says. “Got these gorgeous green eyes.” She sighs wistfully. “She’ll prob’ly stop by with a friend today, just to say hi. You can meet her then.”

Prompto smiles. “Sweet. Sounds like you scored.”

“What about you? Have any fun this weekend?” Cindy teases.

“Eh. Mostly worked,” Prompto lies. He doesn’t know if he should tell her about what happened at the gym yesterday. “Well, actually, I  _ did _ see this supremely hot tattooed guy--”

“Supremely hot, huh?” comes a familiar, deep voice that stops Prompto cold.

Prompto finds none other than the very person he was talking about, leaning against the counter with a smirk on his face. He’s wearing a tank top, showing off both his muscles and tattoos, with his hair in a messy bun wrapped on the top of his head. He’s wearing sunglasses, which criminally hides his beautiful eyes, but everything else looks so damn perfect, Prompto’s pretty sure he might combust.

“Oh,” Prompto manages weakly, nearly dropping the vanilla lattes he gives to Cindy. “ _ Oh.” _

“Aranea!” Cindy gushes, and it’s only then when Prompto notices there’s an entire other person standing next to Hot Gym Guy.

There’s a woman with long, almost silver-blonde hair in a french braid cascading over one shoulder. She’s got vivid green eyes that match the dark green, long-sleeved, flannel button-up she’s wearing. Her eyes are focused entirely on Cindy as she wears a smirk. She  _ is  _ beautiful, Cindy definitely wasn’t lying about that.

Prompto can hardly notice her when  _ he’s _ standing right next to her, though.

“Hey, Cindy,” Aranea says. “Sorry if I’m a little early, wanted to take Big Guy here before class started.”

“Ain’t a problem at all, you’re lucky to miss most of the rush, I reckon,” Cindy says. “Prom, this here’s Aranea, and her friend, uh… what was it?” She laughs apologetically.

Prompto’s heart nearly stops. He’s been frozen in place since he noticed  _ he _ was here, and he knows he has to answer for gushing about him behind his back.

“Hmm, I think it might be Supremely Hot Tattoo Guy, right?” the guy asks with a smirk. “Long time no see. You ran from me yesterday.”

Prompto’s cheeks are fiery warm right now. “Um.”

Cindy raises an eyebrow. “Wait, was  _ this _ who you were talkin’ about?”

“Sure is,” the guy continues. “We met at the gym yesterday, and I’ve been tryin’ to track you down ever since.”

Prompto’s heart nearly gallops. “You… wha--”

“Looks like he’s about to have a stroke,” Aranea notices. “What’d you do to him?”

“Nothing!” Hot Gym Guy says defensively. “Hey, you good? I just wanted to talk to you. We’ve obviously got somethin’ happening here.”

Prompto feels warmth curl around his wrist. He looks down and sees the guy’s fingers curled around his gently, coaxing him forward over the counter. His touch feels  _ good— _ warm and comforting, and Prompto doesn’t want it to end at all.

“Uh, sorry for calling you, uh,  _ that, _ I just don’t know your name, and--”

“Dude, I’m messin’ with you. It’s seriously flattering, especially coming from someone as cute as you,” he responds flirtatiously.

“Oh, jeez. Get a room,” Aranea mutters. “Cin, I’ll take a Red Eye.”

“Sure thing!” Cindy giggles. “How ‘bout you, uh...?” She prompts for his name once more.

Prompto can’t focus on anyone’s words, let alone the Hot Gym Guy’s response, despite Prompto desperately wanting to know his name. The surroundings in the coffee shop begin to blur, and Prompto prepares himself to have another flashback— _ right _ in the middle of work.

_ Prompto finds himself staring at those ridiculously pretty amber eyes, as he walks down the steps of a huge, ornate building downtown. This definitely isn’t  _ his _ Insomnia. It’s a different one, older yet newer all at once. _

_ His hand is covered by someone else’s, and it’s absolutely the guy from the gym. His hair is shorter, and he’s gazing at Prompto like he knows something no one else does. _

_ “Hey, Prompto,” he says softly, keeping Prompto from going anywhere. “You can’t run from this, y’know. From us.” _

_ Prompto feels his heart start to stutter. “I… I know, dude, I’m not. I’m just… I’ve never done anything this serious before. And I… you know how I feel.” _

_ The smile that takes over his face is absolutely breathtaking, reminding Prompto of all the reasons why this would be worth it. _

_ “Yeah?” he asks. “Why don’t you tell me?” _

_ Prompto knows he’s blushing at this point as he ducks his head. “C’mon. Right here? Right now?” _

_ “Why not?” he teases. “Scared everyone will see you with me?” _

_ “No!” Prompto insists. “I just…” _

_ “Fine, how about I take you home, and we can talk there?” _

Prompto feels an arm on his shoulder, and startles when he realizes it’s Cindy’s, back in the coffee shop. She’s frowning, a look of concern on her face, and Aranea and Hot Gym Guy are staring at him with an almost equal worry.

“Prom, you good?” Cindy asks. “You zoned out a bit there.”

“Shit,” Aranea interjects. “Is Big Guy really your soulmate? My condolences.” She snorts. Her tone is teasing, but Prompto barely registers it.

“Dude,” Hot Gym Guy responds. “Hey, look at me, you alright?”

Prompto doesn’t know what to do here. His first instinct is to run away, at least  _ outside, _ to get some fresh air, but he can’t exactly leave Cindy here alone during the morning rush.

Prompto’s solution to this is apparently to hide, like a little kid.

“I gotta go check stock in the back,” Prompto says. “I’ll bring out whatever we need. Nice seein’ you guys.”

“Prom,” Cindy chastises, but doesn’t follow him. Clearly, she knows he needs space, and Prompto is grateful for that.

Prompto feels like an idiot as soon as he hides in the back. It’s quiet and solitary in here, and he knows he can’t just keep running away like this. Whoever that Tattoo Guy is, he’s clearly not as affected by any of this as Prompto is. He’d be an idiot to cry over that, right? He managed to find a kind, beautiful stranger that might be his soulmate, and he’s going to happen to be one of the few with a one-sided soulmate? Is that even a thing?

Cindy walks into the back room about ten minutes later, a sympathetic look on her face. “Howdy. They’re gone, by the way.”

Disappointment floods through Prompto. He really blew it. Who knows if he’ll ever see him again?

“Oh, yeah?” he asks, trying to be conversational and failing at sounding casual.

“He left his phone number,” Cindy says. “I reckon you should talk to him, Prom. He sounded heartbroken when ya bailed. Took me a while to convince him to let ya be.” She hands him a napkin with a phone number scrawled on it.

“I--I don’t know what’s goin’ on,” Prompto admits. “I know something’s happening with him, but I can’t keep running away. It’s scary. These memories are… they’re not all happy, I guess.”

“They ain’t supposed t’be happy, y’know,” Cindy points out. “It can be a li’l overwhelmin’, but the best person to share that with is him.”

Prompto sighs. “Yeah. I know. I’ll call him… soon.”

“Good. What’d ya think of Aranea?”

“She seems super badass. I’m sorry I didn’t have the chance to talk to her that much.”

Cindy ruffles his hair. “You’re goin’ through it. I get it. We’ll all have to go out sometime, maybe that’ll be nice.”

Prompto smiles. “Yeah. Maybe.”

“Let’s get back to work, huh?”

Prompto nods. “Yep. Thanks, Cindy.”

Prompto may be an idiot, but he still has a few hours of his shift left before class, so he tries to focus on making mundane coffee orders instead of what just happened.

Still, Prompto can’t get over his most recent flashback. Whatever the two of them were talking about, it definitely seemed… romantic.

Were they together in a past life?

\-----

Prompto is grateful when his shift ends and he can finally go to class, except that his classes drag on and on. He can’t focus on any of them, not even his photography class. He keeps wandering around campus, hoping he’ll find Mysterious Gym Guy Soulmate, if only to apologize for running from him for the  _ second  _ time.

He doesn’t, of course. Life isn’t like the movies; he’s not going to find Hot Gym Guy just randomly wandering around campus, or sitting next to him in class, or maybe in his bed, waiting to tell Prompto that it’s okay that he’s a huge idiot and blew it twice in a row.

Prompto heads back to his dorm and decides to jog just as the sun is setting. He doesn’t want to spend too much time with nothing to do, lest his anxious thoughts about everything return.

Like, what if he never sees that guy ever again? What if Prompto will never know what having a soulmate is like because he’s an idiot that ran away from him— _ twice _ ?

More than that, he feels this sort of  _ pull _ toward the other guy. He doesn’t even know his name, or even if he’s a nice or decent person, but Prompto finds himself wanting—no,  _ needing— _ to know. He wants to spend time with him, he wants to get to know him, he wants to look at those pretty brown eyes again.

He can’t shake the way he sounded at the coffee shop, all concerned and almost longing all in one. 

Maybe there’s something to this soulmate thing after all.

Yeah, Prompto’s definitely gonna jog off the bad feelings.

He runs a few blocks, feeling that familiar windedness. He paces his breathing, trying to shake all of his thoughts at once. The only time he has the energy to overthink is when he’s not running, stopping at crosswalks, so he tries to do that as little as possible.

Prompto frowns when he just barely misses his green light on the crosswalk. He stops on the corner of the sidewalk, trying to jog in place to keep these bad feelings from coming back. 

“Hey!” a slightly familiar voice calls out from the other side of the street.

Prompto makes the mistake of looking up, to find none other than the very man that’s been on his mind ever since they met. He’s recently showered, apparently, as his wet hair is pulled back into a ponytail. Prompto barely has time to gasp before he feels his surroundings start to fade away, and the ringing in his ears starting to roar.

_ Prompto feels older, weirdly aged somehow. There’s a scratch of facial hair on his chin that he’s never experienced the sensation of before—it itches. The glowing of a campfire warms his face, and it feels real—far too real. _

_ His breathing isn’t labored anymore, in fact, he feels amazing. It’s nighttime, the world much darker than he’s used to. He must be outside the city somewhere. _

_ His hand feels heavy, there’s something in it. He looks down to find a hand in his own, much bigger than his. It’s rough with calluses, but the thumb caresses the back of his hand like it belongs there. _

_ Prompto looks up to see just whose hand it belongs to, and finds him. Hair pulled up halfway, slightly older too, those familiar scars and tattoos etched on his skin. Those amber eyes glow by the firelight, and he smiles down at Prompto. _

_ At  _ Prompto _. There’s no one else there for him to smile for. _

_ Prompto feels butterflies flutter through his stomach as his hand squeezes his own.  _

_ “Prompto,” he says, looking at him fondly. “I gotta ask you somethin’.” _

_ Prompto only then notices what they’re both wearing. Some sort of uniform, almost like the military, or a guard of some kind. They’re not just any uniforms, either. They have a sort of emblem on them, a crest, with silver buttons down the front. They’re important, but Prompto can’t quite remember why. _

_ “Gladio? What’s up?” Prompto asks, suddenly nervous. _

_ Gladio.  _ Gladio.  _ It’s as if he knew the name the whole time, but just only recently realized it. Gladio, Gladio, Gladio. _

Two strong hands grab his shoulders, pulling him back to reality. The familiar streets of Insomnia outside the university return to Prompto.

Prompto can hardly breathe. He sways, hunching over to put his palms on his knees. Anxiety swirls through him, as he’s just had another very vivid image of wherever they were, whoever this  _ Gladio _ is.

“Hey! Hey, are you alright?” Gladio asks, hands still firmly gripping Prompto’s shoulders. “Sorry to touch you, I just don’t want you to fall--”

Prompto looks up, right into Gladio’s eyes, and he’s reminded of the way they glowed against the fire in whatever Dream-Memory that was. As soon as their gazes lock, Gladio gasps under his breath, slightly taken aback.

Prompto wonders what memory Gladio just experienced. He wonders if they remember the same things at the same time.

“Prompto?” Gladio checks, coming back to reality faster than Prompto apparently could.

Prompto never told Gladio his full name.

At least not in this life.

“Gladio,” Prompto says softly and reverently, and he feels himself start to panic. “Um. Hey, man, I dunno what’s happening, but--”

Gladio straightens himself and Prompto, holding him at arm’s length, keeping him steady. Prompto notices how warm and gentle such a firm touch can be, at least coming from Gladio. He can’t wrap his head around this, or around anything at the moment.

“We should talk about this,” Gladio insists, voice heavy with emotion. “Did we just… we need to talk--”

Prompto can’t believe this. He knows what he should do, what he’s  _ supposed _ to do. Gladio is handsome, and apparently concerned. He, from what Prompto can remember, cared about Gladio before.  _ Before. _

“Yeah. Yeah, okay,” Prompto says, trying to still his breathing. “Sure.”

He wants to run away, but he knows he owes himself—and Gladio—at least a conversation.

“Okay,” Gladio says, a little more confident that Prompto won’t head for the hills. “There’s a campus bar right there that’s pretty private. We don’t have to drink anything, just… sit?”

Prompto nods. “Okay. Cool.”

Prompto has no idea what he’s going to do about this. His entire life has changed in one fell swoop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, artwork by the lovely [idefix](https://twitter.com/Faufix) <333


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's some mild/non-graphic descriptions of mugging-related violence in this chapter, just a heads up!

Prompto’s still slightly numb; he’s scared if he allows himself to feel anything, he’ll break down into some sort of sobbing fit or anxiety attack.

The bar he follows Gladio into is dimly lit and fairly quiet, which is strange for the start of the semester, but he’ll take it. A few college kids are scattered throughout the bar, so Gladio finds a corner booth farther away from them, for which Prompto is grateful.

“You want anything?” Gladio asks as soon as they sit down. “Looks like they got some food.”

Prompto shakes his head. He’s scared if he eats anything, it’ll make him even more nauseous. “I’m good.”

“I’m gonna order us somethin’. You look like you could use something,” Gladio insists.

Prompto wants to feel flattered and a little grateful that Gladio wants to take care of him, but still, the small talk around someone he doesn’t yet know but he’s  _ supposed _ to is just too strange to ignore.

“Okay,” Prompto says gently, looking at a chip in the wooden table they’re seated at.

“Can I ask you something?” Gladio asks as soon as he places an order of fries.

Prompto looks up, startled. “Huh? Yeah?”

“Why’d you run away from me? At the gym, and at the coffee shop?” Gladio wonders. “I get it, you’re obviously experiencing some sort of flashbacks, but, like… why run?”

Prompto feels his cheeks warm. It’s a good question that Prompto unfortunately doesn’t have any good answers to. “I, uh… I have a bad habit of doin’ dumb things.”

“Oh, yeah?” Gladio asks with a smile. “Wouldn’t you wanna stick around in case… y’know… we’re…”

“Yeah, that’s definitely what a smart person would do,” Prompto says, looking out the window sheepishly.

“Hey, no one said anything about you not bein’ smart,” Gladio says with a frown. “Nothing wrong with freakin’ out. I did too.”

Prompto’s eyes widen. “You had a flashback?”

“Yeah. A bunch. It’s  _ real _ weird.”

“Have you ever… had anything like that happen to you?” Prompto wonders.

“Not ‘til I met you, yesterday. I had a weird thing when I was a kid in school, but nothing ever came of it,” Gladio explains. “What about you?”

Prompto wants to know what Gladio means by a ‘weird thing’, but doesn’t know if they’re close enough yet—which is funny enough in itself, considering they apparently knew each other in another life.

“Nah, same. Weird thing?” Prompto asks despite himself.

Gladio shrugs. “Thought I had a memory about someone, but I guess it was just a dream, since I was around the kid a lot in school and nothing ever happened.”

Prompto would’ve remembered someone like him during childhood; he’s definitely never met Gladio before, so he obviously isn’t talking about Prompto.

“Huh. Weird. Nothing like that’s happened to me,” Prompto says. “Guess I’m not around anyone important.”

“Or you just don’t know it yet,” Gladio points out.

Prompto can barely conceal a snort. He’s never experienced anything with anyone he’s ever met. Ignis and Noctis are his closest friends, and he’s never had even anything close to a memory flashback. He’s not important enough to be in Noctis’s fancy royal past life.

Prompto tries to push away that strange feeling he had last night when Noctis got his migraine. Almost like a strange feeling of deja vu, just like when he first met Gladio.

“Nah,” Prompto lies. “I don’t think so. I was starting to think that I wasn’t cut out for that kinda thing.”

“Why not?” Gladio asks. 

“I’m not the luckiest dude alive,” Prompto says. “Especially not with…” He gestures to Gladio, smiling a little.

“Huh?” Gladio clearly isn’t comprehending the message Prompto is trying to send.

“You’re not unattractive,” Prompto points out nervously.

Gladio smirks. “Yeah?”

“Shut up,” Prompto whines. “I’m just pointin’ out the obvious.”

“You’re not unattractive either, ya know.”

Prompto tries to still his heart. He knows he’s not  _ ugly _ by any means, but he definitely doesn’t match up to someone like Gladio. Unless if they  _ were _ together in a past life—if their flashbacks are indicative of anything.

Before Prompto can respond, Gladio’s hand reaches out across the table and grabs his own. It’s soft, and warm, and he doesn’t want Gladio to ever let go.

“You don’t gotta run from me,” Gladio continues, his voice a soft whisper.

Prompto ducks his head, flushing as he squeezes Gladio’s hand in return. “It wasn’t you, man. Like, you’re seriously the hottest dude I’ve ever seen. I just… wasn’t expecting it. And, like, the fact that we are sitting here right now, and there’s no memory I’m experiencing  _ right _ this second, I just don’t get what starts and stops it. And, like, what if we  _ weren’t _ together like  _ that _ in our past life?” Prompto asks. 

“What makes you say that? What’d you see?”

“Just, like, weird training stuff?” Prompto says. “You were training me for something. Like, combat training. And earlier we were… older, I guess, a little bit, at least. And we were… sad? I don’t know why. Happy, but sad. Like something bad was happening but we were…” He frowns. It keeps trying to escape from him, like trying to remember a dream. “I don’t remember.”

“Yeah. I mean, we clearly don’t have everything yet,” Gladio says. “Either way, we were important to each other. This isn’t a coincidence.” He squeezes Prompto’s hand.

“No, I know… it’s just, weird, dude. What’d you see?” Prompto can’t help but ask.

“More of the same, I guess. Jogging together, that kinda thing. I know it was  _ for _ someone, not you, but I dunno who. I don’t remember. Stuff’s foggy.” Gladio shrugs. “We owe it to each other to hear it out, though.”

The waitress brings their order of fries, setting it in front of both of them. Prompto’s about to respond when he feels himself pulled from his surroundings and into another memory—at least, that’s what he  _ guesses. _

_ Prompto finds himself at some sort of diner—a Crow’s Nest, he guesses from the decor. Gladio’s sitting next to him, always warm at his side, secure. _

_ The fries in front of him smell delicious, and Prompto can’t wait to dig in. It feels like he hasn’t eaten all day, and his energy is nearly fried. _

_ “Make sure you eat up,” Gladio says from next to him. “Don’t want you keelin’ over on me.” _

_ “Yeah, right,” Prompto fires back. “I’m fine.” _

_ Still, Prompto eats the fries quickly, a familiar taste on whatever road trip they’re on. He remembers, now—it’s been weeks since they’ve been home. He can’t remember their destination, just the four of them, on the road together. _

Four? _ There’s two people sitting in front of them. Familiar people, people he knows—Prompto tries to focus on them, but it’s blurry. He feels himself being pulled away. _

_ “Gladio?” Prompto asks, voice muffled, as if underwater. _

“Prompto,” Gladio says softly, the noise of the bar filling Prompto’s ears again. “Hey, you good?”

Prompto takes a deep breath, trying to acclimate to fading in and out like that, despite it being so disorienting. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m…” Prompto trails off. “I’m great, man. This isn’t annoying at all.” Sarcasm floods his tone. He lets go of Gladio’s hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“I get it,” Gladio says. “What’d you see?”

“We were on a road trip, for a long time? And we were with…” Prompto tries to remember, and fails. It’s frustrating. He can almost  _ see _ them. A caretaking, comforting presence… and an aloof, caring, familiar friend…

Prompto knows two people that fit that bill exactly, but he didn’t  _ see _ them. If it were someone he already knows, he would’ve known by now, wouldn’t he? He would’ve experienced some sort of memory or flashback to indicate that it could be…

No, it couldn’t be Ignis and Noctis. It’s just Prompto’s memory starting to fill in gaps to cope. That’s what’s going on here, right?

Prompto’s chewing on his bottom lip, trying to push those thoughts far away from his brain.

“We were with…?” Gladio prompts, trying to coax Prompto to continue.

Prompto needs to get out of here. He’s not sure if he can take another life-changing revelation tonight. 

“I dunno,” Prompto responds weakly. 

Gladio clenches his fist in frustration. “Really wish this shit would get less confusing.”

Prompto can certainly relate to Gladio’s frustration, but his comes out in the form of anger, while Prompto’s is just numb anxiety. He wants to fix this, but just doesn’t know how.

“Me too.”

There’s so much Prompto doesn’t know, and considering how bleak a lot of these memories seem to be—the sad wistfulness that comes with each memory, Prompto’s starting to worry.

“So, um, do you wanna come back to my apartment after this? We can compare notes, maybe more pieces will fit together. It’s just off campus, right around there--” Gladio points.

Prompto freezes. Once he agrees, once he heads back to Gladio’s, he knows more memories will likely come. He’s not sure he can take much more of the heavy emotion. He’s never been good at processing emotions normally. 

What if Gladio died in the past life? What if  _ Prompto _ did?

“Look, I really should be heading home.” He reaches across the table to write his number on the menu. “Here’s my number, just… call me whenever, I gotta go.”

Prompto gets up from the table, not waiting to see what Gladio has to say. At least he bothered to leave his number this time.

“Hey, Prompto,  _ wait,” _ Gladio calls after him, standing up slightly before he probably realizes that Prompto doesn’t want or need him to follow.

Prompto feels tears sting his eyes when he leaves the bar. He plans to take the long way around to head back to his dorm. He’s such an idiot. He let his potential soulmate go,  _ again, _ for the third time in  _ two _ days.

At this rate, he feels like he pretty much deserves to not have a soulmate at this point.

Prompto doesn’t even know why he ran. Gladio was gentle with him, kind, surprised, and patient. He’s hotter than hell, and Prompto’s an idiot. He’s stupid, so damn stupid.

Part of Prompto, something deep inside him, knows there’s pain that comes with those memories that keep happening today. The more time he spends with Gladio, the more likely he is to feel that pain.

Prompto doesn’t like pain.

“Shit, I’m so stupid,” Prompto huffs out, feeling a tear roll down his cheek.

Prompto barely has time to register his pain, however. As soon as he passes by an alleyway outside of campus, he feels an arm firmly grab his own and yank him into the dark, abandoned street. 

Prompto yelps as he’s pinned against a hard, unforgiving brick wall with a knife to his throat. He briefly registers someone demanding his wallet, but he can’t really focus on anything other than the ache to his head and the fear of potentially dying right here and right now.

Of course, Prompto  _ would  _ be lucky enough to just die to avoid dealing with the soulmate thing altogether.

“Hey! Let him go,” a deep voice warns from the entrance of the alleyway.

Prompto looks over just enough to see Gladio, running toward Prompto’s attacker in a fighting stance. 

His surroundings begin to blur.

_ “On your left, Prompto!” Gladio yells just as a voretooth leaps toward Prompto’s left. _

_ They’re out in a field somewhere, a country road in the background. There’s more people than just Prompto and Gladio, but he can’t quite focus. _

_ He doesn’t know why they’re fighting a pack of voretooths in the middle of nowhere, but Prompto knows he has to, for some reason. _

_ Prompto rolls out of the way, just barely dodging it. He fires a shot at it, then kicks it just as Gladio takes a swing with his broadsword. _

Prompto’s flashback fades instantly, like waking up from a sudden dream. Gladio has nearly closed the distance between Prompto and his attacker at this point. 

Prompto doesn’t know anything about fighting, not the way he seemed to have in a past life. He even had a gun; it felt so natural in his hands, like he knew exactly what to do with it.

Prompto pushes the insecurity aside in order to defend himself. He shoves the attacker away, making sure to take the attacker by surprise enough to knock the knife right out of their hands.

Gladio circles around Prompto, just like in the flashback, using the attacker’s distraction to his advantage. Gladio punches the attacker in the face—it’s no broadsword attack, but it’s effective. It knocks the attacker out entirely.

Prompto doesn’t have time to check if the attacker is down permanently before his surroundings fade as he’s pulled into another flashback.

_ “You could’ve been killed,” Gladio says, de-summoning his sword and kneeling in front of Prompto. “You weren’t checking your peripherals.” _

_ Prompto rolls his eyes, trying to downplay his clawed knee. “I was fine, dude. Meant to do that. Totally.” _

_ Gladio smirks fondly. “Uh huh. Sure. So what’s that?” He points to the bloody wound on Prompto’s leg while summoning a curative. _

_ Prompto feels himself flush. “It’s… nothin’, man.” _

_ Gladio gently crushes the curative into Prompto’s palm. He’s always so gentle with Prompto; it surprises him that such a strong guy can be so gentle. _

_ Prompto loves it. _

_ “You know I can’t watch you when I’m looking after Noct,” Gladio reminds him. “Least you could do is not give me a heart attack, blondie.” _

_ Gladio stands up straight to press a kiss to Prompto’s cheek. _

_ “You two bein’ gross?” Noctis asks. _

_ Prompto stares at Noctis in awe, while Ignis— _ Ignis!— _ stands behind him with a knowing smile. _

Prompto gasps back into reality, unable to comprehend what he just saw.

“Noct?!” Prompto yells out in the alleyway, to no one in particular.

“What?” Gladio asks confusedly. “Noct?”

Prompto blinks at him in confusion. Gladio doesn’t know who Noctis is in this life; they’ve probably never met.

Noctis and Ignis were in his flashback. They must’ve all known each other in another life. Ignis and Noctis have no idea that it’s Prompto they’re missing, or Gladio.

Prompto’s known Ignis and Noctis for a long time now. Why the hell haven’t Noctis and Ignis figured out who Prompto is?

“I… I saw someone,” Prompto admits. “My friends, they were… with us, shit I  _ knew  _ it--”

“You saw someone else? That you know? We fought like we’ve known each other for years,” Gladio says, tone slightly awed. “What the hell was that? It was amazing.”

Prompto’s experiencing an overload of information. His mind is buzzing with Noctis, Ignis, and the fact that Gladio and Prompto were with them in another life. And Gladio kissed his  _ cheek—  _

“You’re not gonna run away from me again, are you?” Gladio asks when Prompto’s too busy thinking to respond.

Prompto jumps. “Wha--? No, I’m sorry about that, I… this is a lot.”

Gladio shakes his head. “It’s all good. I get it.”

Prompto looks down at the unconscious person at their feet. “Is he, um…?”

“He’s alive. I knocked his ass out. He’s lucky that’s all he gets,” Gladio says.

Prompto reminds himself to never piss Gladio off. Something tells him he doesn’t have to worry about that, though—something deep down inside him.

Something that feels like the way Gladio kissed his cheek.

Prompto feels his cheeks start to burn.

“Um…” Prompto trails off, suddenly shy. “What did you see?”

“We were fighting some sort of soldiers,” Gladio says pointedly.

Gladio gets different flashbacks than Prompto, it seems. Prompto wonders if Gladio knows that they were together in a past life.

“Did you see…?” Prompto asks. “Anyone else?”

“Other than you? Yeah, some dark-haired kid,” Gladio says. “Dunno who he was, though. D’you wanna come over to my place? I kinda wanna make sure you’re alright. He didn’t cut you, did he?”

Disappointment flutters through Prompto. Of course, he didn’t expect Gladio to immediately know who Noctis is, but it still sort of sucks. Prompto felt some sort of bond between the four of them, one that won’t ever happen in this life unless Prompto can get them to meet and somehow connect.

Still, Prompto supposes they should get together and talk this through— _ without _ Prompto running away this time.

“Yeah, sure,” Prompto says. “I can do that.”

Gladio nods. “Cool. Let’s go. Next time, don’t run away from me, alright?”

Prompto laughs. “Yeah, considering it got me mugged, I don’t plan on it.”

“Good.” 

“Were you followin’ me?” Prompto asks teasingly.

“Kinda,” Gladio admits. “I wanted to make sure you got where you were goin’ safe. Sorry. Just had a pretty strong memory of us…”

Prompto is dying for him to finish. “Yeah, me too. I freaked out.”

“Why? Scared of me?” Gladio asks with a smirk.

Prompto’s cheeks warm once more. It’s definitely not  _ that; _ it’s the total opposite. Gladio’s so hot he doesn’t even know what to do with him. He doesn’t even know if Gladio  _ wants _ him like that anymore, soulmates or not.

If they are soulmates.

Gladio’s laughter distracts Prompto. “You’re redder than a lobster right now.”

“Shut up!” Prompto whines. “Give a guy a break.”

“Just makin’ an observation. You go to the university? I’m guessin’ you don’t just work at a coffee shop here?” Gladio guesses.

“Yeah,” Prompto whispers, trying to claw the flush off his cheeks. “What about you?”

“Yep. Sports medicine,” Gladio says. “You?”

“Photography,” Prompto answers sheepishly.

Gladio’s eyes widen, stopping in his tracks. He shakes his head, and a few moments later, he seems to return to reality.

Prompto just watched him have a flashback. “What’d you see?” Prompto asks, eagerly.

Gladio laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. “We were… taking selfies together,” he says. “You didn’t see it?”

Prompto shakes his head. “I guess we do see different stuff.”

“Yeah? What else have you seen that you haven’t told me about?”

“Well, earlier you said we were fighting soldiers, but in mine, we were fighting voretooths,” Prompto says. “Pretty nasty ones. Man, we were badass.”

Gladio laughs. “You can say that again. You looked pretty cool with all your guns.”

“You too. I dunno how you hold such a heavy sword. You kicked ass. Seems like you could still do that now,” Prompto teases. “Me, not so much…”

“I doubt I could,” Gladio says. “Just ‘cause I go to the gym doesn’t mean I’m trained in combat.”

“It’s weird that we… were able to do that so in sync back there, though,” Prompto murmurs. “Like we were…”

“Connecting to our past selves?” Gladio says. “Yeah. Didn’t know that was a thing.”

“Maybe it only happens under stress or somethin’,” Prompto suggests.

“Maybe.” Gladio stops outside a sleek-looking apartment building. “This is me. Still wanna come in?”

Prompto’s heart flutters. “Yeah, of course.”

Prompto’s phone starts buzzing frantically in his pocket just as he says this. He reaches in it, and finds that Noctis is calling him. He’s suddenly reminded of his flashback, and how he needs to update Noctis about it. He looks from Gladio to his phone anxiously.

“Go ahead and take it,” Gladio says.

Prompto sighs, and answers the phone. “Hey, Noct.”

“Prompto,” Noctis says with relief. “I… I need you to come back to Specs’.”

Prompto raises an eyebrow. “Why? Are you okay?”

“I woke up. My migraine’s gone. And I saw you in my past life,” Noctis says softly.

Prompto’s heart hammers. “I saw you, too. Did you see anyone else?”

“I think so, but I couldn’t make out his face, kinda like not being able to remember a dream,” Noctis says. “Did  _ you? _ You saw me?”

“Yeah. In my flashback… with Gladio,” Prompto whispers.

Gladio looks up, curiosity in his eyes. “Is that… the dark-haired kid? From…?”

Prompto nods slowly at Gladio.

“You found out who he was?” Noctis asks over the phone. “Wait, did you say Gladio?”

“Yeah? Do you know him?” Prompto asks, hope in his voice.

“The name just… sounds familiar. I don’t know why though,” Noctis says. 

“Maybe I can bring him,” Prompto suggests. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, might as well… if we’re all in each other’s… wait, has he had anything happen to him?”

“Yep. He’s had memories of me and you. I dunno about Iggy, but…”

“Iggy?” Gladio asks.

“Yeah, Noct’s soulmate,” Prompto explains.

“You mentioned him,” Gladio says. “In my dream. Memory. Whatever.”

Butterflies flutter through Prompto’s stomach. If Gladio’s hearing Ignis’s name and seeing Noctis, it means that in a past life, they definitely all knew each other.

The puzzle pieces are all still missing, but they’re starting to form proper shapes, at least.

“Okay, this is ridiculous. We need to figure this out,” Noctis says.

“Yeah. We’ll be there in five,” Prompto says, and hangs up the phone.

Prompto shoves his phone in his pocket, and takes a deep breath. “Okay. Okay, okay, okay. Okay.” He pauses. “... Okay.”

Gladio raises an eyebrow, taking a step to close the distance between them. He reaches out slowly, and grips Prompto’s chin to pull his gaze to meet Gladio’s.

“You good?” Gladio asks, voice soft.

Prompto’s heart thuds in his chest, looking into Gladio’s eyes, feeling himself tug toward him. He wants to kiss him, but he doesn’t know if that’s okay. He figured meeting a soulmate would instantly feel like home, but there’s too many missing elements. Still, Gladio’s lips look so soft, and the more Prompto looks into his eyes, the more Gladio starts to smile.

Prompto never knew a smile could be so beautiful.

“Y-yeah, I’m great,” Prompto says, but his voice sounds weak even in his own ears. “We just… there’s a lot of shit. Happening. Right now.”

Gladio laughs softly. “There sure is. But are you okay?”

Prompto nods as Gladio’s grip still remains firmly on his chin. “Peachy. You have really pretty eyes, man.”

“So do you,” Gladio murmurs. “So, you’re leaving?  _ We’re _ leaving?”

“Is that okay? How are  _ you _ holding up? Sorry I just ruined your life at the gym yesterday, now all this is happening--”

“Are you blaming yourself for a natural occurrence?” Gladio asks with a snort.

Prompto feels his cheeks heat up for the millionth time that night. “Maybe? I mean, I did do something dumb, like, two or three times, and I almost got mugged, and--”

“None of that’s on you, blondie,” Gladio promises.

Prompto starts to calm down, focusing on the fact that apparently, ‘blondie’ is just a Gladio nickname no matter what life they’re in.

There’s something oddly comforting about that.

“I’ll try to remember that,” Prompto says. 

Gladio suddenly remembers himself, and lets go of Prompto’s chin. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re—it was nice,” Prompto assures him. “Okay, so… Iggy lives, like, a few blocks away, on campus.”

Gladio nods. “Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay!! things are happening...,.,


	5. Chapter 5

Prompto grows more nervous the closer they get to Ignis’s place. Gladio’s never met either of them, Prompto’s pretty sure, and he’s scared  _ nothing _ will happen when they meet rather than something. If nothing happens, Prompto has no idea what he’s going to do with any of this information, or what he  _ can _ do with it.

He’s practically shaking by the time he knocks on Ignis’s door. Gladio puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, it’s gonna be alright,” Gladio says. “You’re a pretty nervous dude, huh?”

“No way man, I’m the life of the party,” Prompto jokes weakly.

The door opens, and instead of Noctis, like Prompto half-expects, Ignis stands at the door. As soon as Ignis’s eyes land on Gladio, his eyes widen.

There’s silence, and Prompto swears his heart entirely stops beating. Finally, Ignis speaks before anyone gets the chance to.

“It’s you,” Ignis says softly, reverently. “I’ve seen you so many times in memory. Well, I’ve  _ tried _ to.”

Prompto can barely hide a gasp, a smile spreading on his face. “You’ve seen Gladio?!”

“Gladio,” Ignis says, trying the name out. “Yes. His presence has been a foundation in a lot of my memory, but it was difficult to uncover most of it, as we haven’t met yet.” He holds out his hand for Gladio to shake. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in this life.”

“Hey,” Gladio says, wrapping his hand firmly around Ignis’s. “Sorry, I’ve only heard of you by name. I just started havin’ these flashbacks recently, though.”

Ignis chuckles. “That’s quite alright. It’s all a bit much for you, I’m certain.”

“Where’s Noct?” Prompto asks. “I wanna see him.”

“Specs?” Noctis asks, as if summoned. He peeks his head around Ignis’s shoulder, and he grins. “Hi, Prom.”

As soon as Noctis steps into full view once Ignis stands aside, Prompto hears that now-familiar ringing to his ears as he’s pulled into another time and another place far away from here, all at once. This time, though, it’s different. More intense. Dozens of memories flood him all at once.

It feels like watching a movie of his own life.

\-----

_ Prompto is young, still a child, and Noctis helps him up after he falls. They’re  _ both  _ children, and Prompto can’t look Noctis in the eye. _

_ Noctis is the Prince of Lucis, and Prompto will never be equal to him, despite how much he wants to be. _

_ \----- _

_ Prompto first catches a glimpse of Ignis, gangly and in rectangle-framed glasses, in high school. He scares Prompto a little—he’s quite an intimidating presence, but he can tell Ignis really loves Noctis. It seems like he’d do anything for him. _

_ Prompto can understand that loyalty. _

_ Noctis and Prompto are in high school, and they go to an arcade together. It’s the first time they’ve spent time together since they were children. People point and stare at Noctis, because he’s the prince. _

_ No one pays attention to Prompto, but that’s okay. He has friends, and that’s all that matters. _

_ \----- _

_ Prompto first meets Gladio a few weeks later. He’s never seen anyone more beautiful in his life, and he’s only wearing a hoodie and sweatpants. His eyes are big, beautiful, piercing, and a gorgeous shade of brown. He can’t stop photographing him. _

_ Gladio teases Prompto about being small, but there’s a fondness there that he can’t shake. _

_ They get milkshakes together, and Gladio walks Prompto home. _

_ It’s the first crush Prompto’s had in the new school year. He’ll never forget him, even if Gladio, Noctis, and Ignis long leave him behind once they graduate. _

_ \----- _

_ Prompto has just graduated, and decides to join the crownsguard after much convincing. He’ll get to be around his friends every day. He’ll get to make his entire job spending time with and protecting his best friend. _

_ He’ll see Gladio every day. _

_ Life is… pretty good. _

_ Crownsguard training pushes him hard. It’s more than he can take, but Prompto will take it. He wants to earn this. He wants to belong. _

_ Marshal Cor Leonis wears a proud smile whenever Prompto is mentioned by the time it’s over. Prompto’s even prouder to have him for a role model. _

_ Gladio teases him sometimes, but his fingers linger on Prompto’s when he shakes his hand during graduation. It gives Prompto butterflies. _

_ \----- _

_ Gladio kisses him a few weeks before they leave for Altissia to send Noctis off to marry Lady Lunafreya.  _

_ Prompto saw stars, fireworks, and everything in between. He’s never been kissed, not like that before. _

_ He gets to spend their entire road trip holding his boyfriend’s hand, and Prompto has never been more excited to fill a roll of film. _

_ \----- _

_ Gladio and Prompto lie in a private suite in Galdin Quay after Gladio took some private, lucrative daemon hunts to afford it. _

_ They’re naked, and Prompto is curled up in his boyfriend’s warmth. He can hear the waves lap at the shore from their suite. Noctis and Ignis are in the adjacent room. _

_ Prompto still feels where Gladio touched him, burning like a deep, smoldering fire. He’s hoarse from moaning his name. _

_ Prompto loves Gladio more than he has words for. _

_ \----- _

_ The days are long, and the nights are restless, but Prompto gets to spend every crappy motel night with Gladio, curled up in his arms. Even camping is so much sweeter with his own personal space heater that is his boyfriend. _

_ Sometimes Prompto forgets that King Regis has passed, but only slightly. _

_ His best friend is now king, and Noctis is dealing with far more than he was ready for. _

_ Prompto wishes he could help more than he is, but he’ll remain at his side regardless. He’s grateful is boyfriend is equally passionate about his duty. _

_ \----- _

_ Gladio has left to train, feeling inadequate after dealing with a tough adversary. Prompto knows what it’s like to feel weak, so he understands why Gladio left. _

_ It doesn’t help the ache in Prompto’s chest when he has to move on without him for the time being. The nights are far lonelier without Gladio at his side.  _

_ Noctis and Ignis remain good company, however. Prompto hopes Gladio will return soon. _

_ ——- _

_ The nights grow longer, and Altissia is in ruins. _

_ Noctis is fighting the Astrals now, trying to gain their power, and it’s more than anything Prompto was ready for. _

_ Lady Lunafreya has passed, and everything is bleak. _

_ Prompto doesn’t know what he’d do without his friends by his side, and Gladio. _

_ Gladio is dealing with his trauma and loss with anger, it seems. Prompto wants to get Gladio to just  _ talk, _ but he’s not ready. _

_ Ignis can’t see. Prompto is hopeful his sight will return, but Gladio isn’t. He’s accepted that loss. Noctis hasn’t spoken all day. _

_ Prompto wishes they were happy again. _

_ \----- _

_ Noctis is gone, and the nights are endless. _

_ Gladio’s gone off to hunt, while Prompto helps Ignis in Lestallum. Nearly everyone has been uprooted from their homes, the daemons taking over their homes. _

_ Everything seems bleak. Prompto misses his best friend, and he misses Gladio. _

_ Prompto knows this is what Gladio needs to cope, but he only wishes he took Prompto with him. _

_ \----- _

_ It’s been five years into the long night, and Gladio lives with Prompto in Lestallum, now. It’d be the perfect domestic life if things weren’t so terrible, and Noctis was here. _

_ They make do. Prompto’s glad they have each other, and Ignis nearby as well, as they wait for their king. _

_ Ignis tells them that Noctis might likely die. _

_ Prompto doesn’t know how to mourn someone who isn’t dead yet. _

_ \----- _

_ Noctis has returned, and everything seems okay, even if only for a little while. Prompto’s never hugged someone harder. _

_ Gladio asks Prompto to marry him as soon as Noctis returns. _

_ Prompto doesn’t know if anyone will be there to marry them when the dawn returns, but Gladio doesn’t care. _

_ Prompto says yes, of course. _

_ Ignis asked Noctis something similar. _

_ Prompto’s happy they finally admitted it to each other. _

_ \----- _

_ Noctis is gone. Prompto’s never cried harder, and he’s never seen Gladio cry this hard. _

_ The dawn returns, and it’s beautiful, but there’s something bitter about it, as the light in their friend group is now gone. _

_ Prompto hurts. _

_ \----- _

_ After a few therapy sessions, and a renovated apartment in what’s left of downtown Insomnia during the relief efforts, Gladio and Prompto move in together. _

_ Life starts to find more of a routine. _

_ Ignis adopts a service dog, and Prompto loves him. _

_ They visit Noctis’s memorial every weekend. _

_ There’s a hole in Prompto’s heart where Noctis should be, but they’re starting to learn to cope, at least. _

_ \----- _

_ Gladio and Prompto marry in the autumn, outside of Lestallum, out in Leide. It’s good to see familiar faces, like Cindy and Aranea, but it brings too much attention to those who can’t be there. _

_ Gladio cries in private about his own father not attending his wedding. _

_ The wedding is beautiful, however. Ignis was an amazing officiant.  _

_ Prompto has two photo albums worth of wedding photos. He wishes Noctis was in them more than anything. _

_ \----- _

_ Ignis moves in with Prompto and Gladio, if only to help raise their child. _

_ Ignis is a better parent than either of them, but neither Gladio nor Prompto want to admit it. _

_ They name their child Noctis. He has Gladio’s eyes. _

_ Everything seems to fall into place. _

_ \----- _

Prompto gasps, his balance swaying once he comes back to reality. Both Ignis and Gladio reach out to steady him.

“Prompto, are you alright?” Ignis asks.

“I--I saw,” Prompto whispers, “everything.” Prompto looks up at Noctis, tears in his eyes. “ _ Noct!” _

Prompto rushes forward to wrap his arms around his best friend. His heart swells with emotion—he’s here now, completely fine, just a  _ normal  _ person. He’s not a king, or a prince. He’s not destined to die. He’s just Prompto’s best friend, just like before.

“Hey, Prom,” Noctis says, hugging him back. “I’m glad you were with me… before this life.”

“How long have you known about this?” Prompto gasps. “You were… you were gone…”

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t really remember that much, but…” Noctis says with a laugh. “I’ve known about what happened to me since I met Specs.”

“I knew there were pieces missing to our story—gaps, if you will, but…” Ignis trails off, looking at Prompto with surprise. “I never knew you were so involved. Gladio, too.”

The mention of Gladio’s name has Prompto turning around sheepishly, flush coloring his face. He and Gladio were  _ more _ than friends. Because of his memories, he no longer has to wonder what the touch of Gladio’s lips feels like, or how soft and warm Gladio’s skin is.

“Hey,” Gladio says cheekily to Prompto, tears welling in his eyes. “It’s been a minute.”

Prompto closes the distance between them, throwing his arms around Gladio. He remembers everything; his smell, his touch, his laugh. It feels like nothing has changed between them, like there wasn’t an entire life separating them—or who knows how many lives.

“I know you guys probably want some time to figure stuff out, but,” Noctis says from behind them before practically climbing them for a hug.

Prompto can’t help but laugh with pure happiness. Gladio’s embrace opens to allow Noctis to climb in.

“I can’t believe I forgot about you, pipsqueak,” Gladio teases Noctis. “I knew you seemed familiar. We met when we were kids, remember? In this life, I mean.”

“Yeah. You were a fifth-grader and I was a second-grader. I kinda thought you were a dick,” Noctis admitted. “I never knew you were…  _ Gladio.” _

“Yeah. I knew… I felt somethin’ back then, but… I had no idea...” Gladio sniffles, and Prompto’s surprised to see the tears in his eyes have welled over. “This is a… fucking lot, man.”

Prompto laughs, happy tears in his eyes. He’s glad that Gladio figured out what happened during their childhood in this life. It seems like it was bothering him way more than he let on. “Man, I know. You guys are lucky, you’ve had, like, years to adjust to your memories. Me and Gladio are gettin’ this shit all at once.”

“My apologies. Perhaps we should… leave the doorway?” Ignis suggests. “My neighbors will start to talk.”

They all laugh. Gladio shuts the door behind them before lacing his fingers with Prompto’s. They all walk to the living room. Prompto and Gladio sit next to each other on the loveseat, while Noctis sits on Ignis’s lap on the recliner chair.

Prompto can’t stop staring at Noctis. The emotions, the loss, and the…  _ bond _ they all shared is still fresh in Prompto’s mind, like it happened yesterday. Despite the details being blurry, like trying to remember a dream, he still remembers the pain of it all—of Noctis dying.

“Hey, you’re good, man,” Noctis says once he realizes Prompto’s staring. “I’m here, in one piece. Not dead.” He laughs awkwardly, gesturing to himself.

Prompto shakes his head in disbelief. “It’s all so… new.”

Gladio tightens his grip around Prompto’s waist. “Let’s never do that again, huh?”

They laugh again.

“I can certainly agree to that,” Ignis says. “Don’t worry, Prompto. I refused to leave Noctis’s side once I remembered… what happened. You aren’t alone in feeling the way that you are right now.”

Ignis can’t seem to say out loud that Noctis passed away, and Prompto  _ really _ can’t blame him. He’s not sure if he can say it himself. Gladio isn’t jumping to, either.

“Yeah, Gods, I could barely take a crap without Specs asking if I was alright,” Noctis teases. “Let’s not be weird about it.”

“‘Let’s not be weird about it’, he says,” Gladio mutters sarcastically. “Like we didn’t spend an entire past life living in your asshole.”

Prompto chokes on the air he’s breathing in. “ _ Gladio,” _ he says with a laugh. 

It’s so strange that they’re all sitting here, like it’s natural. Gladio was a stranger to him not even an hour ago. Now Gladio’s arm is around him, and he’s  _ here. _

Gladio, Gladio, Gladio.

They haven’t talked about it, Prompto knows this. If Gladio even saw half the things Prompto saw, then he knows they were together.

_ More _ than together.

Married, even. Had a child together. Lived together. Mourned the loss of Noctis together.

Prompto stirs a little, his emotional, happy bubble popped for a bit. They  _ need  _ to talk about it.

“I guess you’re right. I can’t control that, though, so… don’t be weird,” Noctis says. “I knew that when Prom started talking about maybe meeting someone, and then I got a headache… somethin’ was goin’ on. I said yesterday that I knew something was missing, but…”

“It feels… complete now,” Ignis says. “Perhaps not entirely, but we’ve got all the missing elements.”

“We’ve got the right puzzle pieces, just gotta fit things together,” Prompto offers. Maybe his analogy will help others.

“That’s an interesting way of putting it,” Ignis agrees.

“Can we just talk about the fact that  _ you  _ two didn’t get together until the  _ night _ before it was all over in our past life?” Gladio accuses to Ignis and Noctis. “Talk about beating around the bush.”

Ignis rolls his eyes. “Apologies not everyone is as eager as you two.”

“Sometimes we couldn’t even stay in the same tent,” Noctis reminds them.

Prompto grins at the memory. “Yeah, well… a guy has needs, man.”

“You sure do,” Gladio says, voice low, lips brushing against Prompto’s ear.

Prompto feels goosebumps rise all over his flesh. A thousand different memories flood him all at once, yet he’s eager to make new ones, fresh ones.

Ones that matter  _ now, _ right here.

It’s all too much. What if Gladio doesn’t feel it on the same wavelength? What if their past life is what they needed to get together, and because all of those elements are gone, what if Gladio isn’t attracted to him now?

Prompto starts to work himself up. He stiffens next to Gladio, wishing he could just be comfortable and with Gladio always.

He really does want to kick the Gods’ asses for making them have to get together over and over. How is that even fair? How can two people be so happy yet have to have it end and start all over again?

“Can I get some air?” Prompto asks suddenly to Ignis.

“Of course. Whatever you need, Prompto. Are you alright?” Ignis asks, noticing Prompto’s preoccupation immediately.

“Yeah, it’s just a lot,” Prompto says. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Alright,” Gladio says, but his tone is off. It’s stiff. It reminds Prompto of how Gladio would get when he was feeling something he didn’t know how to say.

But that was then, this is now.

Prompto heads out to Ignis’s balcony, looking out at the street in front of them, the cityscape in the distance. He’s always loved the view Ignis’s apartment brings, but he doesn’t appreciate the heavy set of emotions that come with them.

Tears sting the corner of Prompto’s eyes, and he sees no point in holding back anymore. He sniffles as he starts to sob, gripping the balcony railing tightly.

It’s all too much. Gladio, not knowing if Gladio feels that way for him now, Noctis dying, all the memories they shared in that other life; the long dark, losing Ignis’s sight, Gladio giving him the cold shoulder on the train, losing Lunafreya, losing Noctis’s father, losing  _ Gladio’s _ father, finding out about Prompto’s  _ true _ father…

Prompto’s pretty sure his brain wasn’t meant to take on so many emotions and memories all at once.

The affection is there, too. Prompto feels years of love for Gladio hit him like a freight train. Gladio’s all he ever wanted, and wants right now. He wishes more than anything that Gladio loves him back. It’d crush him if he didn’t.

The sliding glass door opens quietly and shuts again, and Prompto doesn’t need to turn around to know it’s Gladio. He can feel his size and calming presence behind him, like he’s done it a million times. 

He  _ has _ done it a million times.

Prompto sniffles, seeing no point to hiding his tears. He wipes his eyes and nose on the bandana tied around his arm, taking a deep breath.

“Look, if you don’t feel the same way about me in this life, it’s okay,” Gladio says, voice heavy. “You can’t help it. You don’t gotta cry about it. I don’t… expect anything.”

Surprise jolts through him like an electric shock. He whirls around, despite looking like a complete mess, to look at Gladio.

“Feel the same way?” Prompto clarifies, his voice a wreck from crying.

“Yeah, like… I’m sure you got that we were…” Gladio gestures between the two of them. 

“I don’t think ‘together’ is a strong enough word,” Prompto says with a bitter laugh. “We had a  _ kid, _ man.”

“Yeah, we did,” Gladio says softly. 

“I don’t…” Prompto takes a deep breath. “I don’t even know how to process it. I don’t even know if I want kids, y’know? It’s so much. All I feel is so much… love for you. And it scares me that you can say no right now.”

“I could’ve said no in any other life, too,” Gladio points out. “I don’t wanna say no to you. I get it. It’s a hell of a lot. Just ‘cause we did something in one life doesn’t mean we have to repeat shit. You don’t want kids? Cool, we’ll talk about it. We don’t have to just stop talking and assume we’ll do the same shit just ‘cause we remember it.  _ Pretty _ sure Noct’s not gonna leap off a building just ‘cause he died in a past life.”

“I mean, we all died in a past life,” Prompto points out jokingly.

Gladio playfully shoves his shoulder. “Don’t be a smartass.”

Prompto sighs, smiling a little. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just… a lot to process, and I’m not thinking about it right. You were, like, a stranger this morning. Now you’re  _ Gladio.” _

“I am Gladio, yeah,” he teases. “And you’re Prompto…”

“And we were married,” Prompto says. “And I… loved you.”

“We were,” Gladio says. “And I did, too.”

Prompto is scared to tell Gladio that he still loves him. He ducks his head. It seems stupid. Gladio doesn’t yet know him in this life. They still don’t know where to go from here. But Prompto does know that no matter what, part of him— _ all _ of him—will always love Gladio.

Prompto doesn’t know if Gladio feels the same way, but it  _ is _ nice to know that Gladio not only remembers everything, but also that he’s worried about scaring Prompto off just as much as Prompto’s worried about scaring  _ Gladio _ off _. _

Prompto feels Gladio’s hand curl around his own, and it startles Prompto. He looks up into Gladio’s eyes, and finds Gladio smiling.

“I remember you being in my arms enough to miss it right here and now,” Gladio says softly. “Can I hold you?”

Prompto answers the question for him by surging forward. A tiny whimper escapes his lips as soon as he wraps his arms tightly around Gladio’s waist, squeezing as hard as he can. Gladio’s arms encircle around him, holding him close, and Prompto’s never felt so good in his entire life.

“I still love you,” Prompto whispers against Gladio’s chest, comforted by Gladio’s heartbeat. “I don’t think I could ever stop, not even when we’re boring losers, like right now.”

Gladio laughs. “Speak for yourself, I ain’t boring.”

Prompto can’t help but laugh too, his tears happy ones now. It’s such a typical Gladio response, it comforts him more than anything.

“I still love you too,” Gladio finally murmurs into Prompto’s hair.

Prompto closes his eyes. Everything is happening all at once, but the fact that he at least knows that they still love each other is all that matters.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Prompto says with a hysterical laugh. “This is fucking nuts.”

Gladio starts petting Prompto’s hair. “I know. But I got you, that’s all that matters.”

Prompto nods. “Yeah.” He pulls back enough to look into Gladio’s eyes. “Can I kiss y--”

Gladio presses their mouths together, heated and hungry. Prompto sighs happily, sliding his hands up Gladio’s chest to lock around his neck. Gladio’s so much bigger than him; it’s nice that he can mold so easily against him. Gladio cups Prompto’s cheek with one hand, and slips his tongue into Prompto’s eagerly awaiting mouth.

Prompto missed this without even realizing. There are so many memories that come with these kisses, but Prompto’s grown used to the memories now. He remembers the anxious kisses, the playful ones, the angry ones, the sorrowful ones, the mourning ones, the comforting ones—and all of the emotions that come with them. He remembers their wedding kiss, and Prompto finds himself wanting to create new memories that come with those emotions.

They’re breathless when they part, and Prompto can’t look away from him. 

“I can’t believe I found you,” Gladio murmurs, stroking Prompto’s cheek.

Prompto’s always loved the soft side to Gladio that only he got to see. He closes his eyes and leans into Gladio’s touch.

“I know. I thought I was gonna die alone,” Prompto teases.

“Like I’d ever let your ass get away with that,” Gladio says. “Iggy and Noct wouldn’t have, either.”

It feels  _ so _ good to hear Gladio say Noctis’s and Ignis’s name with familiarity, warmth, and friendship. It’s like all the pieces are finally fitting together.

“Okay, but what about you? What if I couldn’t find you?”

“I mean, you did,” Gladio points out. “And we don’t gotta worry about it anymore.”

Prompto grins. “We don’t.”

“I know we should catch up with those two, but… I kinda just want you to myself right now,” Gladio admits. “I’m fuckin’ beat. All this shit takes a lot outta ya.”

Prompto bites his lip. “Are you gonna go… home…?”

Prompto doesn’t want to seem too clingy, but he definitely doesn’t want to go back to sleeping alone when he knows Gladio is just off campus sleeping alone, too.

“I mean, ideally I’d like to take you with me. I’d just sleep here, but I don’t have any clothes.” Gladio snorts.

“Right, me either,” Prompto says. “We can head to your place if ya want?”

“Yeah. C’mon.” 

Gladio leans in and presses a kiss to Prompto’s forehead. His lips are soft and warm, and Prompto lingers there for a while.

As soon as they come in from the balcony, Ignis and Noctis both look up with concern.

“Are you alright?” Ignis asks. “We were going to come check on you, but Gladio insisted going alone…”

“Yeah, and we heard you got mugged? What the hell?”

“ _ Almost _ got mugged,” Prompto corrects. “Who knew crownsguard training would carry over into a whole other  _ life?” _

The four of them laugh. 

“Well, don’t say I never did anything for you,” Noctis teases. “Seriously, though, I really hope you’re okay, Prom.”

“Experiencing all those memories at once can be… a handful, to put it lightly. I can recommend an excellent therapist for this sort of thing, it worked wonders for me. I think it would benefit you both,” Ignis says.

“Yeah. Might be good,” Gladio says. 

“Wow,  _ you’re _ agreeing to therapy? Maybe I don’t know you after all,” Prompto teases with a snort.

“Hey, don’t joke about that,” Gladio says sternly before cracking a smile. “For now, I think we just need to get some sleep. We can talk about that kinda stuff later.”

Prompto sighs. “Yeah, are you guys good? Noct?”

Noctis nods. “I’m just glad everything’s where it should be.”

“It is a wonderful feeling to have you all with us again,” Ignis says.

“Feels like not much has changed,” Prompto admits.

“Come on, man.  _ Everything’s _ changed,” Noctis says.

“Yeah, I guess for you, it’d be a lot different.”

“No one’s waitin’ on him hand and foot anymore,” Gladio says, rolling his eyes. 

Ignis chuckles. “Indeed.”

“Shut up,” Noctis whines. “Get outta here.” There’s a smile on his face despite his words.

“You got it,  _ Highness,” _ Prompto says, saluting.

“You don’t salute royalty, dummy,” Noctis says, throwing a pillow at him. “And cut it out with that shit.”

Gladio laughs. “Aww, Princess doesn’t like it,” he says with a fake pout. “C’mon, babe. Let’s go get some sleep.”

“You’re welcome to stay here, if you’d like,” Ignis suggests. 

“Maybe another time,” Gladio says. “Me and blondie have a lot to talk about.”

“Maybe we can hang out tomorrow? All of us?” Noctis suggests.

“Sounds good,” Prompto says.

“I concur,” Ignis adds.

“Totally,” Gladio says.

Prompto and Gladio link hands, and Prompto is pretty sure he’ll never get over how good it feels to finally hold Gladio’s hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact, writing this chapter made me tear up dfshsdfhdf


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> explicit sexual content in this chapter, heads up! they're both trans men, so do with that what you will lol

The night air is cool enough to warrant Prompto leaning into Gladio, and by the time they reach Gladio’s apartment, Gladio lifts Prompto up into his arms, much to Prompto’s laughing delight.

Gladio’s apartment isn’t too big, but it’s not exactly the smaller dorm Prompto shares with Noctis. It’s fairly organized, which surprises Prompto—Gladio wasn’t the most organized person he knew, but then again, with Ignis around, no one could really take that prize other than him.

“What’s up?” Gladio asks teasingly.

“You’re neater than before,” Prompto notes, looking down at Gladio as he’s still in his arms. “Slightly.”

“I mean, I wasn’t a slob before,” Gladio points out.

“No, it’s just interesting. I wonder why we change… but only a li’l bit.” Prompto bites his lip.

“I dunno, but one thing hasn’t changed,” Gladio says.

“Huh? What?”

“You have shitty fashion sense,” Gladio says.

Prompto gasps, as he was expecting Gladio to say something sweet. “Hey!” He wiggles a little, trying to get out of Gladio’s arms. “Dick.”

Gladio laughs, hard, and it’s not difficult to admit that the sound is like music to Prompto’s ears. As long as he hears Gladio laughing around him, he knows he’s safe and loved.

“I’m kiddin’,” Gladio says.

“I mean, at least I  _ wear _ clothes,” Prompto says, kicking Gladio playfully, “Mr. Shirtless Romance Novel--”

Gladio cuts him off with a kiss, gripping the back of Prompto’s head and pulling it down so their mouths meet. 

“You weren’t exactly complaining,” Gladio says with a smirk when they part.

“Who the hell would complain about that?” Prompto says, sliding a hand down to brush against Gladio’s chest through his shirt. He slides down Gladio’s body so he can look up at him. “Speakin’ of which, where’s your bedroom?”

Gladio’s eyebrows raise. “Forgot how eager you were.” 

“We can go slower,” Prompto says with a laugh. “Just wanted the apartment tour, get your mind outta the gutter!”

“Uh huh, sure,” Gladio says. “It’s this way.”

Prompto follows Gladio down a hallway leading into the bedroom. It’s fairly small, but big enough to have an en suite bathroom. It’s homey.

“Wow, me and Noct gotta share bathrooms,” Prompto says. “Though, I guess we’re lucky to have a private one at all.”

“You can stay here whenever,” Gladio says. “I mean, y’know, I hope I don’t gotta tell you that you can live here if you want…”

“What happened to takin’ it slow?” Prompto grins, spinning around to face Gladio. “Moving in is a big step.”

Gladio snorts. “I spent my whole life with you. I don’t need to go slow anymore. I did that whole song and dance.”

“That was then,” Prompto says, voice dipping low. He walks up to Gladio, throwing his arms around his neck. “This is now.”

Prompto backs Gladio against the bed, giggling a little when Gladio pretends Prompto’s push has power behind it. Gladio flops down onto the bed, grinning up at Prompto.

“Is there a difference?” Gladio wonders.

“I mean,” Prompto starts, climbing onto Gladio on the bed, straddling him, “we’re definitely takin’ it easy this time around. No war, no crownsguard, no…”

Gladio wraps his arms around Prompto to hold him against him, and starts trailing kisses along Prompto’s neck. Prompto moans, completely forgetting what he was trying to say.

“Ain’t that a good thing?” Gladio purrs in his ear. “All we gotta worry about is me and you.”

“Finally,” Prompto says, laughing with relief before whimpering when Gladio nibbles at his ear. “Gladio…” He sighs wistfully.

“I dunno how to describe missin’ someone I haven’t met yet, but I’ve missed you so much,” Gladio whispers against Prompto’s neck. “As soon as I saw you makin’ an idiot of yourself on that crosstrainer…” He laughs, and the vibrations send shivers down Prompto’s spine.

“Hey, I wasn’t prepared for someone like you to start talkin’ to me, alright? I mean, I went to the gym to get laid, but I never thought I’d actually score,” Prompto says, gripping Gladio tightly. “Is it weird that I knew it was you, somehow?”

“Is that why you ran from me?” Gladio teases, “kind of a mixed signal there, baby.”

Prompto bites his lip, closing his eyes. He missed Gladio calling him that. It’s like nothing has changed, even though it has. 

“I know, my legs didn’t match up with my brain,” Prompto says.

“And if we weren’t soulmates, would you have taken me home?” Gladio asks tauntingly, hands gripping Prompto’s hips.

“Gods, yeah,” Prompto whispers. “I would’ve  _ ruined _ you, dude.”

“Gonna follow through with that promise?” Gladio whispers as his hands slide around to squeeze Prompto’s ass.

“Oh, yeah, you’re not gonna be able to walk,” Prompto teases, pushing Gladio to lie down.

Prompto kisses Gladio, tongue brushing into his mouth immediately. Gladio hums in pleasure against him, hips rolling forward sharply into Prompto’s crotch.

Prompto lets out a soft gasp as pleasure shoots through him. He meets Gladio halfway, pushing against every roll of Gladio’s hips.

“Mmm, that’s good,” Gladio groans against Prompto, picking up the pace a little.

“Gladio,” Prompto whimpers, grinding against him roughly, chasing that pleasure mounting within him.

“Just like old times, huh?” Gladio pants up at him. “Used to get you so wet…”

Gladio reaches between them to start massaging Prompto’s arousal through his pants, so that every downwards thrust Prompto gives to Gladio is met with his questing fingers.

Prompto shudders, crotch throbbing between his legs. “Like you w-weren’t,” he gasps, sitting up straight to control the angle better. 

Prompto starts to fully hump Gladio, back arching and hips moving. He moans when Gladio’s fingers press harder, and Prompto starts to grind himself just against Gladio’s fingers.

Prompto stops moving when Gladio starts to reach into Prompto’s sweatpants. As soon as Prompto feels Gladio’s fingers brush against his sensitive flesh, he groans, jerking his hips forward once more.

“You’re always so gorgeous like this,” Gladio murmurs, his voice lower than normal.

“Fuck,” Prompto moans, unable to form coherent words.

Prompto grips Gladio’s shirt tightly, leaning against his chest as soon as Gladio’s fingers travel lower, teasing his entrance.

“So wet,” Gladio purrs with a grin. “I still got it.”

“Fuck, dude,  _ please--” _ Prompto whines, desperate to feel Gladio’s fingers inside of him.

Gladio laughs, biting his lip as Prompto feels his finger disappear inside of him.

“Oh--” Prompto groans, arching his back as soon as Gladio starts pumping his finger in and out of him. “Keep-- keep--”

“Keep what?” Gladio taunts as he picks up the pace slightly, finger brushing against a sensitive spot inside him.

Prompto ignores Gladio’s teasing as he starts gently riding Gladio’s finger. He wants more, groaning every time Gladio’s finger pushes in him fully. He knows he’s getting close, he just needs that little extra something to get him there.

Gladio slowly adds another finger, slipping inside Prompto easily, as hot as Prompto is for this. He’s absolutely throbbing on Gladio’s fingers as he grinds against them.

Prompto wants this to last longer, given that it’s their first time reuniting with each other, but admittedly, he knows he’s going to come soon. It’s been so long since he’s been touched like this, and Gladio knows exactly where to  _ touch. _

Prompto remembers almost every time they did this in their past life, every gasp, every tremble, every time Gladio would moan Prompto’s name. He remembers sneaking off in the Regalia, getting their own hotel room, even sneaking a quickie in the tent every time they camped.

Gladio uses his free hand to pull Prompto’s pants down low enough to expose him further. He pulls Prompto up his chest enough for his mouth to meet Prompto’s clit. As soon as Prompto feels Gladio’s warm, wet tongue disappear against his clit, he gasps, back arching, as his hand shoots out to grip the headboard to steady himself. 

Gladio’s tongue teases and laps against his clit just as his fingers pump in and out of him, and Prompto is absolutely done for. It only takes a few moments for Prompto to gasp, fingernails digging into Gladio’s chest as he comes hard against Gladio’s fingers. He grips the headboard tighter, moaning hard as he shudders.

“Fuck, fuck,  _ fuck,” _ Prompto pants out, overstimulated and entirely satisfied.

Gladio laughs as he pulls his fingers out of Prompto. He whines, sliding down to kiss Gladio tenderly. 

“Oops,” Prompto says sheepishly, still catching his breath. “I didn’t mean to do that so soon…”

“Not like we can’t do it again,” Gladio says with a smirk. “I wanted you to. I wanted to feel you.”

Prompto laughs. “Gay.”

Gladio snorts at his reaction, rolling his eyes. “What can I say? I like makin’ you feel good, baby.”

Prompto closes his eyes, smiling. “Love it when you call me that.”

With that, Prompto slides down Gladio’s body, eyes still locked on his playfully. Gladio’s eyebrows raise the lower Prompto gets, but makes no move to stop him. 

Prompto tugs on the waist of Gladio’s jeans, unzipping them and pulling them down. Gladio starts tangling his fingers in Prompto’s hair, encouraging and coaxing him lovingly.

Prompto tosses Gladio’s pants and underwear on the floor next to them before settling between Gladio’s legs. Gladio’s legs spread to accommodate him, and Prompto pauses for a moment to admire the view. 

Gladio’s long hair fans out against the pillow, tattoos peeking out from underneath the tank top he’s wearing. Prompto gently slides his shirt up to reveal his stomach as Prompto runs his fingers along the warmth of his flesh. Gladio always looks best spread out for him, slightly vulnerable. He’s already wet despite teasing Prompto for that earlier, but Prompto doesn’t even care to point it out. Gladio’s so beautiful; he always will be.

“What are you lookin’ at?” Gladio asks jokingly. “Like I told you yesterday, you could take a pic, it’ll last longer.”

Prompto smirks. “Dude, if I had my camera, I’d fill up an entire roll of film.”

“Now  _ that’s _ gay,” Gladio teases. “C’mon, I wanna feel you. Please, baby.”

Prompto can’t exactly deny that, not when Gladio pleads so prettily for him. Prompto starts kissing Gladio’s thighs teasingly before hovering his mouth over Gladio’s clit. He breathes heavily on purpose, so the air brushes against where Gladio is most sensitive.

“Fuckin’ tease,” Gladio grumbles, swallowing hard. “Feels good…”

“Can’t help it, you look hot as hell,” Prompto admits. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of ya.”

Prompto rests his hands on Gladio’s thigh and hip respectively before lowering his head. He presses his mouth to Gladio but makes no move to lick just yet.

“Mmm,” Gladio murmurs, squirming a little. “C’mon, baby…”

Prompto rewards Gladio with a teasing lick, darting his tongue out and lapping against his clit. Gladio’s responding moan is enough to encourage Prompto to continue. Gladio’s grip on Prompto’s hair tightens when Prompto stops teasing and swirls his tongue around his clit roughly.

“Shit,” Gladio moans, hips lifting up off the bed to feel as much as Prompto’s tongue as possible.

Prompto laps at different speeds, switching from quick licks to slow, deep dives with his tongue. Gladio starts writhing underneath him, gently pushing himself against Prompto’s mouth for more.

Prompto loves doing this; it’s so rare to see Gladio completely unraveled and desperate, becoming undone just by the work of Prompto’s mouth.

Prompto’s tongue teases Gladio’s entrance a few times before he pushes his finger into him. Gladio groans, nails digging into Prompto’s scalp. Prompto loves it; he loves feeling just how good this feels to Gladio.

He thrusts his finger in and out of Gladio as his tongue works him faster and faster. Gladio’s hips steadily leave the bed now, pressing hard against Prompto’s tongue and finger.

“Gods, that feels so fucking--  _ ngh-- _ ” Gladio cuts himself off, back arching a little when Prompto decides to add a second finger to Gladio’s wet heat.

Prompto curls his fingers upward when they’re deep inside Gladio, just as Prompto buries his tongue into Gladio’s clit. Gladio throws his arm over his own face, spreading his legs further. It only allows Prompto more room to work with, his tongue massaging even deeper.

Prompto smiles against Gladio, missing this more than anything. He decides to go a little slower, teasing Gladio with his fingers and tongue, and Gladio grunts as he seeks out more friction.

Gladio moves his arm from his face, looking down at him. “Little shit,” he breathes out. “Why don’t we make this like old times?” He nods to the drawer in his bedside table.

If Prompto knows Gladio in this life as much as he does in his past one, he definitely knows what’s in that drawer. He lifts his head up, pulling his fingers out of Gladio with a smirk.

“Gods, yeah,” Prompto says eagerly.

Gladio reaches into the drawer and pulls out the strap-on and harness, tossing them over to Prompto. He loves doing anything and everything with Gladio, but there’s something about taking him like this that Prompto loves the most.

Prompto’s quick to pull the harness on, attaching the strap-on toy to it. He lowers himself between Gladio’s outstretched legs. He looks beautiful like this, spread and ready for him, gazing at Prompto fervently.

“After all this time, it amazes me how flexible you are with all these muscles, dude,” Prompto teases, tapping Gladio’s thighs. 

Gladio smirks. “You gonna give it to me or what?”

“Hmm, not with that attitude,” Prompto says, pressing the toy against Gladio’s clit, teasing him.

Gladio inhales sharply at the contact, spreading his legs even further instinctively. “Gods, c’mon…”

“You like that?” Prompto murmurs, guiding the toy lower to tease Gladio’s entrance. “You gotta be nicer if you want more…”

Gladio rolls his eyes. His cheeks are flushed slightly as he locks eyes with Prompto. “Baby, c’mon, I’ve waited long enough for you.”

Prompto, being the sentimental idiot that he is, feels his heartstrings tug. He rewards Gladio by gently pushing the toy inside him. Gladio moans as soon as Prompto bottoms out, their hips touching as the cock disappears inside of him.

“You always look so fucking good like this,” Prompto whispers, palms flat on the bed as he starts moving his hips, slowly pumping in and out of Gladio.

“Faster,” Gladio moans, gripping Prompto’s hips.

Prompto lowers his head to kiss Gladio’s neck as he complies, grinding his hips faster against Gladio. It’s not long before Gladio moans low as Prompto finds a fast and even pace pumping the toy in and out of him.

Prompto always feels so close to Gladio like this, and Gladio takes it so well, his pretty groans spilling from his mouth with every thrust of Prompto’s hips.

“Gods, that’s… good,” Gladio gasps, locking his legs around Prompto’s waist.

Prompto’s teeth graze Gladio’s neck as he continues to fuck Gladio fast and hard, encouraged by the volume of Gladio’s moans. His grip in Prompto’s hips turns rough, digging in as he pushes Prompto’s hips even faster, hips lifting off the bed to meet every thrust.

Prompto reaches between them after a moment, and starts massaging Gladio’s clit, giving him a double stimulation that earns even more groans from the man underneath him. Gladio bites his lip to try to stifle them to no avail, turning his head and moaning right in Prompto’s ear.

“ _ Fuck,” _ Gladio grunts out as he comes hard and fast against Prompto.

Prompto gently pumps in and out of Gladio through his orgasm, fingers gently massaging his clit to ease him down. Gladio grunts a few more times, holding Prompto’s hips tightly as he rides out his high.

Eventually, Gladio’s hips settle on the bed once more, his breathing slowly starting to return to normal. Prompto slips the toy out of Gladio, looking down at Gladio with a grin.

“Looks like I still got it, too,” Prompto teases, winking up at Gladio.

Gladio laughs, apparently too dazed to tease back. “You can say that again. C’mere.”

Gladio’s arms wrap around him tighter, holding him there as their lips meet passionately. Prompto’s missed this most of all, being wrapped up in the other man’s warmth, soft and tender.

“So much better when we’re not rushin’ to finish in the backseat of our best friend’s car,” Prompto says, referring to the Regalia.

“You’re tellin’ me. Or crammed in that tent…”

“Thought you  _ liked _ the tent.”

“I like camping, doesn’t mean it’s comfy to fuck in.” Gladio tickles Prompto’s sides.

Prompto starts cackling, wriggling in Gladio’s strong grip. He distracts Gladio with a kiss, which spares him from further tickles for now. Prompto lifts his head to look into Gladio’s eyes, feeling that sense of familiarity and home wash over him again.

“I wouldn’t have changed it for anything, though,” Prompto whispers. “I’d do it all over again.”

“Me too,” Gladio admits. “But… we don’t have to.”

“Nah. Just sayin’, though…”

“Looks like we gotta look after Noct in a different way now.”

Prompto laughs. “Yeah, keep him away from his dirty laundry, it can kill.”

“I don’t doubt that. It wasn’t great being trapped in a car twenty-four-seven with him either,” Gladio says. 

Prompto sighs. “He’s not gonna let us stay away from him for very long. We’ll probably have to go back over to see him tomorrow.”

“I spent a whole life doing what he needed, His Majesty can fucking  _ wait,” _ Gladio says with a smirk. “I got better people—I mean  _ things— _ to do.”

Prompto gently slaps him playfully. “You’ll still go see him tomorrow, don’t lie.”

Gladio sighs. “Yeah, I will.”

“Old habits die hard.” Prompto smiles, running his fingers through Gladio’s hair. “But I’m cool with that.”

“So, you’re ready to go trainin’ at 5 A.M. with me then, right?” 

Prompto frowns. “Um, no. On second thought--”

“No, you said it.” Gladio laughs. “Bright and early, 5 A.M. it is, baby.”

“More like  _ dark _ and early. You are not getting my ass outta bed. Not anymore. A whole lifetime later and I still remember the pain of that.” Prompto giggles.

“Hmm, yeah, I can definitely show you a different kinda workout right here in bed at 5 A.M. anyway,” Gladio teases, grip on Prompto tightening.

“Now that  _ might _ be able to work on me. Maybe.”

“It used to work,  _ all  _ the time.”

“I mean, yeah, ‘cause I had to get up anyway. Now we can just sleep in, y’know, it’ll be perfect.” Prompto sighs wistfully. “Then we can wake up and have some fun…”

“I got class at 9,” Gladio tells him. “Sorry, babe.”

Prompto frowns. “Okay, that’s not super sexy, but we can work with that. I’ll make you pancakes.”

“I can get behind that. I’ll make eggs and bacon.”

“Deal.” Prompto bites his lip, looking into Gladio’s eyes for a long time, expression sobering. He can’t believe this is reality now. He’s still dealing with the pain of the memories that hit him like an oncoming train, but he also gets to fit comfortably in Gladio’s arms, knowing who he is and what they are to each other.

Soulmates. Before this life, and after this life, they’ll always be soulmates.

“What’s up, blondie?” Gladio asks fondly, reaching up to tuck Prompto’s hair behind his ear.

“I can’t believe we’re here. It’s us,” Prompto admits in a whisper.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not like I’m  _ not _ gonna find you in every life that I can,” Gladio says. “You can’t get away from me that easily.”

“ _ Dude! _ That is so cheesy and romantic, I dunno whether to laugh or propose or cry,” Prompto says. “Same, though. I kicked Gods’ asses in a past life, I’ll damn straight do it in this one.”

“We sure did,” Gladio says fondly. “As for laughing or proposing or crying, you can do all three as long as you stay here.”

“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” Prompto says. “But proposal’s gonna have to be special. Can’t take the lazy way out just ‘cause we already know we’re soulmates.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have Iggy bake it into a cake or something,” Gladio says.

“I’ll be super careful eating Iggy’s food from now on.” Prompto beams. 

“I’ll have to keep an eye on you,” Gladio says, tone jokingly serious.

“Yep. Always. Can’t let me outta your sight.”

“Y’know, that’d be a lot easier if you were livin’ with me,” Gladio whispers, pressing his lips to his cheek. 

“That… can be arranged,” Prompto murmurs. “Noct might be sad, though.”

“Doesn’t he spend most of his time with Iggy, anyway?”

“Yeah, but… guy time, ya know? It’s important.”

“Something tells me by the time this semester ends, we’ll mostly be spending time at Iggy’s big ass apartment anyway,” Gladio points out.

Prompto smiles. He really hopes that’s true. It’s the best of both worlds, being so close to Noctis and Ignis, and Gladio being in the same boat.

“Just the way it’s supposed to be, huh?” Prompto says softly.

“Always.” Gladio kisses his forehead.

They have plenty of time to figure everything out, especially when they know they’ll be able to find each other—in this life and all others.

**Author's Note:**

> here's my [twitter](https://twitter.com/ignisgayentia) and [tumblr](http://ignisgayentia.tumblr.com/) if you'd like to see me blab more about these nerds!


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